At that moment when the tension was taut, what came out of the freezer compartment was a large ice box. When about three ice boxes were stacked up, deflated sounds flowed out from here and there.
“Fuck. It’s not.”
Seeing the swollen face and cast on one arm of the red jersey who was heated up, Yeon Cheonguk couldn’t help but recall what he’d heard through rumors. Hwang Jegu casually crossing alone through a high school corridor that was no different from enemy territory, opening the door of someone else’s school classroom during class and kicking the big guy. The brutal physical fight that must have followed. The violent clash that no one could even dare to interfere with. As he recalled it, excitement and fear rushed in simultaneously.
Then there was a glimmer that no one else saw for a moment.
Yeon Cheonguk witnessed a flash sparkling like a flame from inside the glass door on the left rear. When he turned his head, the light had already hidden in the darkness. The shadow that pushed open the door boasted a tall form.
Creak… The black figure that pushed open the old glass door walked casually into the darkness.
The flash Yeon Cheonguk witnessed was light reflected on a flat earring. The slicked-back all-back hair, the metal hanging indifferently on his earlobe—both the man’s strength and composure could be felt simultaneously.
It was an uncool background. A shopping arcade with cigarette butts and spit rolling around everywhere—it was far from sufficient as an entrance scene backdrop.
Hwang Jegu, who had walked steadily through the old building, swept past Yeon Cheonguk.
On his face gradually soaking in the streetlight, there was an expressionless smile. Silence slid down over his long nose bridge.
“Clap clap, clap clap, clap!”
“……”
“Clap clap, clap clap, clap! Korea!”
“……”
“Why aren’t you doing it?”
A red handkerchief with ‘RED DEVILS’ written on it was tied around Hwang Jegu’s right arm. He who had been clapping alone and inducing cheering frowned.
“Why is the atmosphere like this? Why is everyone so tense?”
A smile soon spread across his face with his chin raised. Heh, it was a genial smile that extended to the corners of his eyes.
“His Majesty Hwang-je has arrived.”
In front of Hwang Jegu, who was looking around and elevating himself, the red jersey’s lips twisted. Then Hwang Jegu spat out a sneer.
“You wanted to gang up on me that badly.”
“Today I’m gonna make it so you can never walk around Dongdaemun again. And then you’re going to jail.”
Hwang Jegu was much taller, but because the guy had such a massive build, his bulky physique was obscured. So what Yeon Cheonguk could see was only Hwang Jegu’s face. His sharply featured face was full of boredom.
“Going to jail isn’t easy… You’re chattering away like it’s such an easy thing.”
“Fuck, I’ll blow away your mouth…”
“There’s something strange, so I came early to check. Where did this come from?”
His head gesture pointed at Yeon Cheonguk once. The red jersey spat out an answer.
“He was hanging out with his girlfriend? After singing a song on stage?”
“The girl.”
“Sent her away.”
Hwang Jegu nodded. It seemed he had his own principles. A title gained by trampling the weak didn’t seem to be a particularly attractive power to him.
“You came because this useless thing was caught? Ignoring your friends getting beat up?”
“Of course, I can’t live without manga.”
“What nonsense are you talking?”
Hwang Jegu, who appeared suddenly, was alone. Yeon Cheonguk began to feel anxious. The hostages standing behind were also busy exchanging glances with signs of “this isn’t right, something’s wrong.”
It was a gloomy and damp alley. Moreover, raindrops even began to patter down from the unusual sky.
Still, could he really have come alone? Shouldn’t he have brought numbers?
Hwang Jegu, who spotted the guy fiddling with his phone behind the red jersey, suddenly burst out laughing until his stomach hurt. His roaring laughter echoed through the dark alley. After laughing “keu-keuk-keuk” for a while, he grinned.
“Don’t tell me… you’re having the guys at Rodeo join here too? This is crazy….”
The red jersey seemed to have his pride hurt by the mocking words. But since he already had no pride left to be trampled, he didn’t stop trying to gather more numbers. The smile gradually disappeared from Hwang Jegu’s face.
“I gave you time to request reinforcements. Send the civilian away.”
“…What reinforcements?”
Yeon Cheonguk hoped that in this situation, the jersey’s answer of not understanding “reinforcements” was rather a gag.
Shortly after, the guys holding both arms pushed Yeon Cheonguk away. Now Yeon Cheonguk would escape from the brutal atmosphere. He wouldn’t get back the money that was in his wallet. Even now with his limbs trembling, thinking about money first was truly pathetic.
While walking out to the main street, he didn’t look back. He walked out looking only straight ahead as if he’d become the protagonist in the Orpheus myth who was told never to look back. But with each step he took, his worry doubled.
It’s not just numerically inferior but overwhelming, so what’s he going to do?
Anyone can see this is such a cowardly situation that the other side won’t be able to swagger about this matter anymore.
But it was also clear that this was a fight where Hwang Jegu would have difficulty surviving unscathed.
The opponent was all or nothing. Even if they abandoned honor and bore infamy, they chose the side of thoroughly beating up Hwang Jegu. If a person gets hit in the head just once wrong, they get a concussion. Just falling wrong can break the spine. Assault seems common, but people don’t know how scary it is…
– Hey…! Fuuuck…!
– …Ah! Aaargh!
– Grab him, grab his arm!
At the terrible screams and dull noises coming from the distant alley, Yeon Cheonguk froze like ice.
It had begun. Passersby passing through the alley entrance piled with trash scattered in surprise.
His heart pounded loudly as if it would burst. His body wouldn’t move as he wanted due to the chill spreading through his ribs and the ominous premonition.
People who ran out screaming pointed fingers toward the dark alley. Run away! There’s a fight over there. Must be gangsters. You could get stabbed if you’re not careful!
Those who didn’t know it was an unfair fight with twenty thugs swarming one target were busy running away. It was someone else’s business, so that was natural. That was the same for Yeon Cheonguk too.
This was someone else’s business. Clang, the sound of a pipe rolling, intermittent shouting sounds, curses, the dull noises of bone against bone, bone against flesh colliding… If the group inside the alley runs out to the street, he should avoid them now. If he didn’t avoid them, he’d see something he couldn’t bear to see.
It was someone else’s business. Hwang Jegu was a classmate from a different world whom he hadn’t even had occasion to speak with until a few days ago.
He could just leave. There would be no consequences coming back to him. What Yeon Cheonguk needed to do was run into the subway station to hide his body first, then find a payphone to call his girlfriend.
People wearing red T-shirts repeatedly swarmed in and ran away. When terrible screams burst out from inside the alley, they’d be startled and run away, then people who didn’t know the situation would gather again and run away repeatedly. The touts from the nearby entertainment establishments also crept out like hyenas, cigarettes in their mouths, peering into the alley.
“How many?”
“Three are down. Arms bent like zombies so they can’t get up! What do we do, isn’t someone going to die there?”
“……”
Yeon Cheonguk just needed to get farther from that place. Then it would be over.
Oh- Victory Korea.
Oh- Victory Korea.
Dreams come true!
It was when he was slowly moving his steps amid the soccer cheering shouts. The crowd parted like Moses’ miracle and rushed toward the subway station entrance.
“Kyaaaah! It’s a knife!”
“Run away! Move, move!”
On the sidewalk blocks that had become a scene of chaos with people colliding while running away, people getting angry, people falling and getting up, Yeon Cheonguk stopped walking. And he looked back.
A group tangled together under the streetlight came running out of the alley. The blood drained white from his fingertips.
At the front of the group stood Hwang Jegu with blood on various parts of his clothes, facing backward. He who was a head taller than them was immediately noticeable. His white short-sleeved shirt and arms were stained with fresh blood. Hwang Jegu was blocking bats with his back while simultaneously grabbing two guys by the collar and throwing them down. When he swung his arm with Herculean strength, three guys tumbled and fell. The concentrated power could be felt even from here.
Behind him, the numbers rushing in with murderous intent were endlessly many. The group that had come out of the alley first knocked over large trash bags, engaged in fierce physical fights and punches, and rushed into the building next door. It was the entrance to an underground karaoke practice room.
It happened so quickly he couldn’t see properly. Hwang Jegu was definitely among them. Did he fall down the stairs with them?
The silhouettes of women sexily swaying their bodies flashed on both sides of the entrance. The group that rushed down underground soon let out roars of exclamation and screams.
His vision went white and all sounds disappeared.
A narrow, steep staircase. A confined space. The men gathered there in full number trampling one man. These were people already blinded by violence with only sadism remaining.
His flesh trembled. He imagined blades flying at his armpits, forearms, sides. Tumbling down the stairs and getting trampled, getting hit by bats until his head was crushed, the image of some half-corpse convulsing in a pool of blood with eyes rolled back and body gone limp….
