Chapter 6

Those Guys Who Aren’t Worth Feeling Sorry for Even If They Die

The Anger Inducer

There was 1 Revenge Credit displayed on the status window.

It meant I could use the Altered Persona once, but I had to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.

I needed to collect ten credits to unlock it permanently, so saving them up was important.

I pulled my neck warmer up to just below my eyes and put the prepared bag into my backpack.

“Phew.”

I steadied my breathing and finished preparing at the top of the stairs in front of the elevator on B1.

Considering her personality, I guessed that she would have parked on the nearest underground level, B1.

My prediction was correct.

The B1 elevator doors opened, and the woman from the 24th floor stepped out wearing sunglasses.

I slowly followed behind her.

A large black sedan, its windows darkened by heavy tinting.

The moment she got into the driver’s seat, I shoved myself against her.

“Ah… mmmph!”

I quickly covered her mouth with my hand and shut the car door.

I pulled out a utility knife and extended the blade.

Chkrrrk—

The ominous sound made her freeze.

“Speak only loud enough for me to hear you. Otherwise, you’ll die.”

Her double chin trembled as she nodded.

“Close your eyes.”

Overcome by fear, she let tears drip down her cheeks.

I opened the center console and checked the handkerchief and the palm-sized plastic bag inside.

The white powder looked like methamphetamine, the kind I’d seen on television.

“Drugs? Are you using them?”

“No… Please, spare me.”

After making sure there was no one around, I asked,

“Do you know why I’m doing this?”

Her lips trembled before she spoke.

“I’m really sorry. I’m a VVIP customer, and I felt like I was being ignored… I’m truly sorry for cursing at the manager and kicking him. I’ll apologize.”

She thought I was the department store manager.

Could there have been another wrongdoing?

“I’m not that person? Think again.”

“Could it be… the car wash?”

“Talk.”

“I’m really sorry. I have a compulsion about cleanliness, and when there was a stain left on the car, I momentarily lost my temper. I was really wrong to slap you.”

There was no need to investigate any further.

This woman was evil. She believed money gave her the right to control other people.

“If you believe money can buy anything, then you’re the cheapest human being in the world.”

“I’m really sorry. If you let me live, I’ll give you as much money as you want.”

“You’re shameless and cowardly.”

I opened the glove compartment and checked the numerous business cards inside.

[Jungsung International

CEO: Jung Jungsung

Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul…

TEL: 02-565-XXXX

Mobile: 010-5454-XXXX]

“What does your husband do?”

“He runs a trading company.”

“Does he trade drugs too?”

“No.”

“Then what are these drugs?”

“……”

“You don’t have to answer. Just remember that if you report me, I’ll report you too.”

I rolled up the handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth.

When she opened her eyes slightly, I immediately slapped her across the face.

“I told you, you have to listen to me if you want to live.”

The tears running down her face, washing away her mascara, looked like ink.

“This is punishment for the sins you’ve committed. If you ever look down on another person again, I’ll kill you.”

I took the utility knife and hacked away at her hair.

Slice, slice—

Long strands and short strands of hair fell to the floor.

She stiffened like a wooden doll.

“Your tongue is what brought this upon you.”

My fist shot straight forward and slammed into her lips.

I felt the sensation of her gums being crushed against my knuckles, and she immediately passed out.

[Revenge successful.

Revenge Credits: 2]

If no one could stop injustice when it stood on the side of power and wealth…

Could private revenge then be considered the realization of justice?

I thought Jung Jungsung’s wife deserved that much punishment.

She would have to wear a wig from now on and get several dental implants, but compared to the evil things she had done, that was a light punishment.

Was Jung Jungsung’s accumulation of wealth due to drugs?

Since there were numerous business cards belonging to Jung Jungsung inside the large sedan she had been driving, I had to assume they shared the car.

I didn’t know whether she used drugs or distributed them, but it was clear she was involved with drugs.

What kind of expression would Jung Jungsung make when he saw his ruined wife?

I wanted to see it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone was pounding hard on the front gate.

No one ever came to the house at this hour. Who could it be?

“Is anyone home?”

A loud voice rang out.

It was Detective Jo Taesu.

Damn it!

What should I do?

He must have seen the lights on and assumed someone was home.

My mind raced as if a motor had been attached to it.

“Mr. Kang Maru! I know you’re in there!”

He even knew my name.

I couldn’t let him see me in this altered appearance.

Then an idea flashed through my mind.

I went into the computer room and accessed an adult website.

I turned the volume up so high that the woman’s moans could be heard outside.

Please, just leave.

I heard a conversation outside the front gate.

I couldn’t make out the exact words, but their tone sounded resigned.

Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes.

“Phew.”

Fortunately, the detectives had left.

Since a crisis could happen at any time, I needed to raise my intelligence even further.

I logged onto an online bookstore and ordered various books.

Everything from the humanities to criminology.

I also needed to dispose of the clothes, neck warmer, bag, and gloves I’d worn when I went to the Gangnam apartment.

I could use the incinerator the residents had built out of bricks at the foot of the mountain.

I needed a burner phone immediately.

Ding ding—Tiririding—

It was Hyuksu.

I couldn’t answer because my voice had changed.

After the ringing stopped, I sent him a text.

—I’ve inhaled a lot of dust, so my throat hurts. It’s hard for me to talk on the phone. What’s up?

—Are you free tomorrow?

—I start work at noon.

—Perfect. I have something to discuss with you, so come to my place, eat lunch, and then go to work.

—What is it?

—I’ll tell you tomorrow.

—Okay.

Someone coming to see me and phone calls while I was wearing the mask were both dangerous situations.

I absolutely needed the Immediate Unlock, so I had to manage my Revenge Credits carefully.

But what could it be?

Since we were only texting instead of talking on the phone, I couldn’t predict what had happened to Hyuksu.

Tomorrow was the day I had an appointment with the female psychiatrist.

It would be the final consultation.

The female doctor greeted me with her usual bright smile today.

“It’s getting warmer, isn’t it?”

“It’s a warm spring day.”

“Exactly. On days like this, you should get some fresh air. Why don’t you take a trip somewhere outside the city, Maru?”

“Yes.”

“How are you doing?”

She was still asking whether I had any lingering desire for revenge.

“I’m still confused.”

“Looking at your face, you seem much brighter than you did a few days ago. From what I can tell, Maru, you seem to be thinking in a more positive direction. Am I wrong?”

She was accustomed to phrasing things in a way that encouraged agreement.

As always, I nodded.

“You’re right.”

“As I told you before, Maru, you are the center of your own world. What is the greatest revenge?”

“Living a happier life than those bastards.”

“Bingo! Exactly.”

The female doctor leaned forward, narrowing the psychological distance between us.

“Doctor, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“What do you think justice is?”

The doctor was clever and experienced, just as I’d expected.

She had accurately understood my psychological state.

“Revenge relieves emotions, but justice restores order. That’s why we have public authority.”

“Let’s assume that a hole has been punched in the ship you’re on. There are children, housewives, elderly people, professors, robbers, and murderers aboard. The water keeps rising, so one person must be thrown overboard. Who would you throw overboard?”

The doctor tilted her head slightly as she looked at me.

“Is there a specific intention behind that question?”

“I need your instinctive answer.”

“I’d throw the murderer overboard. Because he killed someone.”

“What if the murderer regrets what he did?”

“Evil actions require punishment. Just because he regrets it doesn’t mean the people he killed will come back to life.”

“I agree with you, Doctor.”

The doctor stared intently at me.

She seemed to want to know what I was thinking.

“Doctor, I feel good right now, and I’m going to feel even better from now on.”

“It seems something has happened around you. That’s why I think you’re changing. Am I wrong?”

“I think you are.”

The doctor knew exactly that I was changing.

That’s why she asked me all sorts of questions, but I hid my true feelings and answered her carefully.

I had obtained her justification for my actions.

Evil actions require punishment.

“Hyung, I didn’t prepare much, but eat up.”

Hyuksu’s studio apartment was spotless.

That was just the kind of person he was.

If only his legs were healthy, he could work with me doing cleaning jobs. It was a shame.

There was rolled omelet and kimchi stew on the table.

“This is more than enough. You’re a good cook.”

Hyuksu stared at me intently.

“What?”

“I think there’s something different about your eyes, hyung.”

“I’m trying to live happily. What about you? Is something wrong?”

“Let’s talk after we eat.”

The spicy kimchi stew and the rolled omelet filled with cheese tasted great.

Hyuksu had attended culinary school for a long time, and his dream was to open his own restaurant.

That’s why he was saving money while working as a club promoter.

“It’s delicious. How about starting with a small restaurant? I have enough money to invest that much.”

“You need to save money and move too, hyung. If you work for about a year, you could start even a small food stall.”

“You’ll do well. Imagine the customers enjoying the food you made and being satisfied.”

It was a pleasant conversation, but Hyuksu’s expression was dark.

Something had definitely happened.

“Is there something you can’t tell me?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Actually…”

This was what had happened to Hyuksu.

The club promoters each had their own territory.

Recently, another group had intruded into his territory. When Hyuksu protested, he was beaten by gangsters.

“You said the owner of your club was paying protection money too.”

“They must be a stronger gang.”

“Do gangsters even manage the promoters’ territories?”

“They’re new here, so they have no fear.”

Only then did I notice the wound on the side of Hyuksu’s neck.

It was a stab wound.

“Is that from a knife?”

“The bastards don’t think twice. I thought they’d stop at threatening me, but when I resisted, they stabbed me right away.”

I wished Hyuksu could do something else, but with his disabled legs, there weren’t many places that would employ him.

“Hyuksu.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have to keep doing that job?”

“Only until the end of this year.”

“I can invest thirty million won. Can’t you use that to get started?”

“I want to do it with my own strength. I’ve only ever received help from you until now. I just need to struggle a little longer.”

When he first started working as a club promoter, he was looked down on and beaten badly because of his disability.

He couldn’t even ask the police for help because reporting it would only lead to more beatings.

He had said things were fine now because he had protection, but it seemed a new group had moved in and caused trouble.

“Hyuksu, tell me honestly. Is this a recent problem, or has it been happening for a while?”

“It happened recently. You know I always tell you whenever something happens.”

“What do you want to do?”

“If I report them to the police, they might kill me. That’s why I wanted to talk it over with you… You’re a lot smarter than me, hyung.”

Seeing how dejected he looked, I realized the situation was probably even more serious than what he had told me.

“Okay. I’ll figure something out.”

“Do you think there’s a way?”

“I know more people than you do, so if I think about it, something will come to me. There has to be a way.”

“I’m sorry. I’m burdening you with something like this.”

“Not at all. If anything else happens, contact me immediately. We’re practically brothers.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

I had a mask.

I had no choice but to use it.