Chapter 6

There's not a bit of tension.

Tae-sik plunged his hand into the air.

'Twisting space and time! Are you crazy? You're crazy.'

Bang-woo's jaw trembled.

"But you're a bit much. These days, do gangsters carry katana instead of sushi knives? You, that's illegal."

"T, t, that's because. That's because my special move is a double kick, so without a sword, it won't work, so that's why."

Bang-woo took out his wallet with a trembling hand and handed it to Tae-sik.

"What is this?"

"I, I, I also have a permit for carrying a sword."

"Ha-. You, a law-abiding gangster."

Tae-sik pulled his hand out of the air.

Thud-. A large box came out.

Dust flew up.

Tae-sik opened the box. The box unfolded in multiple tiers like a cosmetic case.

There were a bat, an axe, a saw, a wrench, a drill—what looked like a toolbox.

But it was filled with strange items. Some were covered in blood, and some had tangled hair.

"S, s, save me. We, we just came to look for Mr. Park. Mr. Park, so that Mr. Park, that bastard..."

"Gangsters should act like gangsters. If someone sees, they might think I'm eating you."

"P, please, I'll tell you everything. No need for torture, I'll tell you everything. Please!"

"Get lost. I don't even trust the breath of those with tongues. Where is this?"

Tae-sik rummaged through the bottom compartment of the box.

"It's here. I'm not sure if it's broken because it's been so long."

Tae-sik unfolded a crumpled leather cap.

It's a memory extractor.

Before this thing was developed, it was impossible to get proper information from demons.

Since it was made for that purpose, its effect is outstanding.

There are some side effects, but since it's used on demons, it doesn't matter.

"W, what's that?"

"Stay still. It won't hurt."

When Tae-sik gestured, Bang-woo froze and couldn't move.

Tae-sik placed the memory extractor on Bang-woo's head and activated it by injecting dark matter.

It emitted a bright light, but no memories were extracted.

"Is it because it's old, or is the contact bad?"

Tae-sik rummaged through the box again and took out a dagger about a foot long.

Tae-sik pressed the dagger to Bang-woo's face.

"Y, y, y, Mr. Park? Teacher? Big brother?"

"Do you draw on your body like this? Show some guts."

Bang-woo squeezed his eyes shut.

Snick-snick. His head felt cool. Thud, his hair was cut off.

"If you stay still, you won't get hurt."

Tae-sik placed the memory extractor again. The contact plate stuck firmly to his bald head.

When it worked properly, Bang-woo's memories were projected like a hologram.

Tae-sik adjusted the rewind speed and read Bang-woo's memories.

He knew they had received a request from Daeho Group, but there were no specific core memories.

Tae-sik repeated the same process with Jang-chun.

Jang-chun's head was a mess, so the contact was poor. It was frustrating.

"I'm sorry. We made a big misunderstanding. We'll leave."

"Come in and cause trouble, then just leave? Would I let you go?"

To find the root cause and cut it off at the source. Even if it takes a lot of effort at first, it's cleaner and more efficient.

That way, it's also mentally more comfortable.

Besides, just letting them go would be frustrating.

If they hadn't called me a woman in front of my mother, it might have been okay, but I can't let it go.

"Was it Team Leader Kim from Team 3 who moved you? Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Bang-woo nodded earnestly.

Tae-sik rummaged through Jang-chun's clothes. He saw the phone from Jang-chun's memory.

Tae-sik immediately called Team Leader Kim.

"Hello? Team Leader Kim?"

- I know the number, but I don't recognize the voice.

"Are you in the office of Planning Team 3 at Daeho Hotel right now?"

- Who are you? Who are you to have that phone?

"Calling you out of the blue, huh? Should I cut your tongue in half?"

- Oh, this is really. You, a young voice, don't you think you're making a mistake by not knowing the world? I don't know how you got that phone, but it's best to return it to the owner.

"Are you so well-versed in the world to be so arrogant?"

-Arrogant? Hahaha. I'm amazed. Kid. If you meddle in adults' affairs without knowing your place, you'll get hurt. You might have a little power, but there are many things in this world you can't imagine.

Team Leader Kim's voice was a mix of anger and ease.

His tone was a mix of confidence and arrogance.

Exactly the type Tae-sik hated the most.

The commanders of the Demon King's army were all like this.

Tae-sik's blood boiled with anger at the thought of the past, but he took a deep breath.

This isn't Roa.

The person on the other end of the phone isn't a demon.

Thinking this, he didn't feel the need to draw his sword.

"Oh, really? Then don't talk much. Just tell me one thing. Where are you now? In the Daeho Hotel office, right? The office where you met Yu Jang-chun."

-Yes, that's right. If I say yes, what will you do? Are you coming to find me...

Tae-sik waved his hand.

Through the warp gate, Team Leader Kim's face was visible.

"Are you going to do it...?"

"Team Leader Kim? You look younger than I expected. Or are you just well-preserved?"

Team Leader Kim looked back and forth between the phone and Tae-sik's face, stunned.

"Surprised? First time seeing a warp gate?"

"No, no... there must be some mistake..."

"Will you come over, or should I?"

"Maybe Team 3 of Electronics?"

"I asked you."

"Or Team 3 of Life Sciences?"

"Team Leader Kim, come over politely. If I come over..."

Tae-sik lifted Jang-chun with magic and gently shook him.

Jang-chun's limbs dangled in the air like an octopus's tentacles.

"Want to turn you into an invertebrate?"

Tae-sik smiled.

Tae-sik often smiles, especially during battles, when he laughs joyfully.

It was a revenge filled with resentment, so it was natural for him to laugh.

That's why Tae-sik's smile contains both joy and a killing intent. Right now, the killing intent is stronger.

"W, who are you?"

"Come. Over."

"Ah, I understand."

Team Leader Kim looked around the edge of the warp gate and stepped over.

"Hem-."

Team Leader Kim cleared his throat. Then he extended a business card.

The crystal hologram embedded in the card had "Daeho" on the front and "Team Leader" and his name on the back.

"Nice card. I want one like this."

"I'm late in introducing myself. I'm Team Leader Kim Ju-min of Daeho Hotel Team 3."

"Enough, sit down."

"Excuse me?"

"Stop fooling around and sit down."

Tae-sik gestured to Bang-woo. Bang-woo quickly moved from the chair and knelt on the floor.

"Sit down. You're the type who needs to be told multiple times."

"Ah, no. Let's sit down first. Ha ha."

Team Leader Kim sat down.

"I can see your skills. They say there's a sky above the sky, ha ha. It's really true. This incident will make us at Daeho reflect a lot. To have such a distinguished person here..."

"Shut up. I don't like talkative people."

"Of course, it's hard to listen to people who don't have weight in their words. But I'm from Team 3 of Daeho. As you know, it's an organization directly connected to the Daeho family. Surely from your perspective..."

"Hey, kid. You talk too much, really."

Tae-sik grabbed Team Leader Kim's jaw and gagged him. Tightening the screws, the gag pressed against his jaw.

"Ugh, ugh..."

"Be quiet."

Tae-sik grabbed the back of Team Leader Kim's neck and shaved his hair. He did it skillfully, like a chef peeling an apple.

He was too lazy to shave everything, so he only shaved the contact areas.

With a few swift cuts, several highways were clearly visible on Team Leader Kim's head.

Tae-sik placed the memory extractor and read his memories.

He already knew about meeting Yu Jang-chun. He needed to see the earlier memories.

"If you force out memories you don't remember, your brain will burn out. So remember. What's the fundamental cause of this incident?"

Tae-sik looked directly into Team Leader Kim's eyes and ordered.

"Do you want to drool for the rest of your life? Remember."

Team Leader Kim squeezed his eyes shut.

Faint memories became vivid again.

There was a dignified woman. She had a worried look on her face.

"It's a big problem. Father's condition... It doesn't seem to be improving."

"President, if you have any orders, please command. I will follow."

"Hmm-. No, this is not something I can decide alone. I need to talk to my brother and sister first."

"If that's the case, I will wait."

The memory ended there.

"Is that all?"

"Ugh, ugh..."

This is the farthest back memory. There's nothing more.

Tae-sik stopped the memory extraction. Steam was already rising from Team Leader Kim's head.

His face was drenched in sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Tae-sik removed the gag from his mouth.

"Did you act on your own without receiving any orders?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Thank goodness. I thought I might have to bring the Daeho lady here too."

"No, this is my decision. The President is not involved."

"Then let's wrap this up here?"

Tae-sik said casually.

"President! President! Wait, wait. I was wrong. I didn't recognize you."

Suddenly, Bang-woo grabbed Tae-sik's pants leg and clung to him.

"Please save me. I didn't know. If you save me, I won't even pee in your direction. I'm sorry. Please save me."

Tae-sik's eyes narrowed. He hated sticky situations.

"Oh-. I, I have a family. My eldest is just starting elementary school, and my second is in kindergarten."

Bang-woo opened his wallet and showed a photo on the opposite side of the sword permit.

In the family photo, Bang-woo looked like any other father.

"Ah, you poor thing."

Tae-sik sighed deeply.

"Please save me."

"Look up."

"Excuse me?"

"Look up, damn it."

"Y, yes."

Tae-sik's pupils were marked with a magic circle. It was the Insight Circle.

The Insight Circle was developed to identify demons disguised as humans or to select demons' subordinates.

Basically, it detects the unique dark matter waves and resonance values of demons.

The higher the resonance value, the better the compatibility with demons.

Most of those with high values were evil people.

The value of Bang-woo seen through the Insight Circle was not particularly high. If he had to compare, Team Leader Kim had the highest, followed by Jang-chun.

That doesn't mean Team Leader Kim and Jang-chun were psychopaths, or that Bang-woo was far from the norm of ordinary people.

After all, carrying a sword permit already suggests he's not a proper gangster.

"I'll really live a good life if you save me."

"Living a good life? Like a dog stopping pooping." Tae-sik deliberately coldly pushed Bang-woo's hand away.

"No, really. We never bothered civilians. We're not third-rate punks. We're traditional gangsters with pride."

"Not funny. Gangsters with pride."

"Really. In our world, once your reputation is ruined, you're done. If you live like a punk, you can't rise to this position. Big brother, big brother. Come to your senses! Your life is on the line!"

Bang-woo shook the unconscious Jang-chun. Tae-sik had deliberately put him to sleep, so he wouldn't wake up.

"Shut up."

Tae-sik shouted and opened the warp gate. It was connected to Team Leader Kim's office. Tae-sik threw Team Leader Kim into it first.

"Team Leader, don't make things worse. Let's finish this here. I hate being bothered."

Without waiting for a response, he closed the warp gate.

"President, big brother, Buddha, Jesus, nun... Please save me. You can see, right? We just played a minor role."

"Not a nun, right?"

"Excuse me?"