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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Sudden Appearance of the Masked Man
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The sudden emergence of the masked man left the animal-masked thugs and Lee Kyu-chan visibly flustered.
Any ordinary person would have panicked at such a sight.
But to Lee Kyu-chan's eyes, this man wasn't flustered in the slightest.
'He's... smiling?'
His mouth was hidden by the mask, but the way his eyes curved into thin crescents made it clear he was grinning.
'Damn it. No time for this, and now this guy pops out of nowhere?'
Lee Kyu-chan instinctively sensed the man was no pushover.
Yet he couldn't show any agitation in front of the others.
Forcing a strained smile, Lee Kyu-chan drawled lazily.
"Hey, whoever you are, you've got some bad luck. You saw something you shouldn't have."
No need to tense up anyway.
If he got in the way, they'd just deal with him.
The real problem wasn't this unexpected intruder, but the police who could show up any moment.
"You with us or something?"
"A gangster? Not anymore."
"...What?"
He'd been living as a gangster just days ago, but now he was a full-fledged civilian.
Ignoring Lee Kyu-chan's question, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke up.
"Ms. Jeong Hee-ju, should I save you?"
"...!!"
Lee Kyu-chan and the others' eyes widened in unison.
In a situation like this, this guy suddenly appears claiming he'll rescue them. What the hell was this lunatic?
"You're dressed all fancy, but you can't read the room? You think this is a joke?"
"Then do I look like a joke?"
Lee Dae-hyuk scratched his chin.
His entrance was completely out of left field, no matter how you sliced it.
But since he'd intentionally gone for dramatic flair, he could call it a success.
He'd been waiting two hours for the exact moment Jeong Hee-ju fell into danger.
A desperately dire moment, that is.
'Staging worked out. Now it depends on what Hee-ju thinks....'
Lee Dae-hyuk glanced back and forth between the collapsed Kim Hak-su and the dazed Jeong Hee-ju, who hadn't fully grasped the situation.
They probably suspected him too.
Was this sudden arrival a savior, or just another enemy?
But one thing was certain.
He was the only one who could save them right now.
Lee Dae-hyuk spoke in a low, chilling voice.
"Get out in three seconds, and I'll let you go."
"You think you can act tough because the cops are coming?"
"I didn't call the cops."
He answered nonchalantly, but it was the truth.
No need to call them in the first place.
Lee Kyu-chan scowled, not grasping the implication.
He couldn't afford to waste more time.
Lee Kyu-chan barked at the animal-masked men.
"Take out that crazy bastard first."
At his command, the three animal-masked thugs charged at Lee Dae-hyuk.
Thud-thud-thud!
Lee Dae-hyuk smacked his lips as they rushed in with noisy footsteps.
'Did I really play around this childishly back then?'
Their charging stance, stride, shoulders, wrists—it was easy to gauge their skill.
These were greenhorns who'd just joined the gang.
'D disposable pawns, huh.'
Lee Dae-hyuk could guess the setup.
Kim Min-sang was a meticulous guy.
He cherished any real assets useful to the organization and used worthless punks barely worthy of the gangster label for dirty work like this.
He'd probably pumped them up with promises of compensation if they ended up in prison.
But of course, no such reward ever materialized.
Who compensates a criminal rotting in jail?
In the end, he was saving not just Jeong Hee-ju, but these punks too.
"You mask buddies think I came alone?"
They flinched.
Had he brought the cops?
Sensing their worry, Lee Dae-hyuk grinned and beckoned.
"Don't worry. No cops."
Lee Dae-hyuk knew exactly how to handle scum like this.
Shake them psychologically, then make them charge blindly.
Sure enough.
Thud-thud-thud!
They came rushing again with frantic footsteps, and Lee Dae-hyuk smiled.
At the same time.
Step, step, step!
A dozen bodyguards emerged from behind him as if on cue.
They too wore masks over their mouths, like Lee Dae-hyuk.
Since it involved a criminal outfit, they'd masked up to hide their faces.
But it had an unexpected bonus.
The bodyguards, all burly with solid builds, looked even more intimidating in their black masks.
"...!!!"
Seeing Lee Dae-hyuk and the dozen bodyguards, Lee Kyu-chan and the animal masks were speechless.
'Who the hell is this guy?'
As if to answer their bewilderment, Lee Dae-hyuk issued a command.
"Overtime pay hits your accounts tomorrow. Clean this up."
Thud-thud-thud!
At his casual nod, the bodyguards surged toward the animal masks in unison.
Except for Yoon Tae-ho.
"Manager, not working?"
To Lee Dae-hyuk's quiet question, Yoon Tae-ho gruffly replied.
"If I jump into that melee, who's guarding you, Young Master? I'll stick by your side here."
"Overzealous loyalty or insubordination? Hard to tell."
"Insurbordination? Nah, overzealous loyalty."
Lee Dae-hyuk smacked his lips at Yoon Tae-ho's murmured response.
The words were playful, but the sentiment came through loud and clear.
Plus, the bodyguards he'd brought were juniors Yoon Tae-ho had firmly muzzled.
They were fighting this pointless brawl for Yoon Tae-ho, not him.
To redirect their loyalty from Yoon Tae-ho to himself, he'd need to reward them properly.
Thwack! Thud!
As Lee Dae-hyuk pondered their compensation, the situation wrapped up.
Thwack! Thud!
"Argh!"
"Ugh!"
The ones collapsing with screams were mostly the animal masks.
They were just punks, no match for well-trained bodyguards.
Less than three minutes in, not a single animal mask stood on two feet.
They'd all been subdued and floored by the bodyguards.
Gazing down at them, Lee Dae-hyuk clicked his tongue.
"Your lives are about to get messy. But hey, survive on your own."
Step-step.
Having duly scolded the animal masks, Lee Dae-hyuk approached Lee Kyu-chan, who still gripped Jeong Hee-ju.
"I'll teach you an easier way to live than those trash."
"What?"
"Let go of the woman, drop the knife, and scram quietly. Then at least you won't get beat."
"You crazy fuck."
Infuriated by Lee Dae-hyuk's words, Lee Kyu-chan pressed the knife tip against Jeong Hee-ju's carotid.
"Ugh!"
"Just a bit closer... Huh? One more step and this bitch dies!! Got it?!"
Lee Kyu-chan raised his voice.
But despite the volume, his glare at Lee Dae-hyuk brimmed with fear.
"Who the hell are you? What makes you pull this shit here!! Huh?!"
"...I don't know him."
Jeong Hee-ju answered.
As she said, it was their first meeting, so even she couldn't understand.
Why would a stranger cause this ruckus to save her?
She eyed Lee Dae-hyuk with curious eyes too.
At that moment, Lee Dae-hyuk said indifferently.
"Kill her if you can."
"...!!!"
Lee Kyu-chan, Jeong Hee-ju, and Kim Hak-su struggling up from the floor were all stunned.
Kill Jeong Hee-ju?
"You didn't come to save this bitch?"
Unable to hold back, Lee Kyu-chan yelled, and Lee Dae-hyuk nodded.
"I did come to save her. But so what? You've got the knife. However...."
"...However?"
"If you do, you'll definitely die here."
"!!"
Lee Kyu-chan gulped unwittingly.
Lee Dae-hyuk's icy gaze, sharper than any blade, pierced his chest.
Having lived in the underworld, Lee Kyu-chan had seen killers up close many times.
They all had razor-sharp eyes.
And an invisible chill cloaking their bodies.
The aura of murderers, probably.
'He's really gonna kill me. This guy's actually... killed before.'
As the terrified Lee Kyu-chan hesitated, Lee Dae-hyuk was tense inside too.
'Good... it's working.'
Truth was, he'd rushed here with bodyguards to save Jeong Hee-ju.
Knowing she'd be useful later, he wanted to rescue her by any means.
But to avoid being at the mercy of Lee Kyu-chan's hostage play, he had to hide his intentions.
Jeong Hee-ju was Lee Kyu-chan's last card now.
If he acted like he didn't care about her safety?
That card becomes worthless.
Plus.
'Just stall till the cops arrive.'
Tense standoff or not, police would end it.
The traitor wouldn't be reckless enough to stab her in front of them.
"Traitor, overdo the loyalty and you'll just end up dead."
"I don't know... who you are, but one more word and I'll...."
"Go ahead, try."
Lee Dae-hyuk pulled out his phone, switched to camera, and snapped.
Click!
He photographed Lee Kyu-chan holding Jeong Hee-ju.
"You fucker! You nuts?"
"The crazy one's you."
"..."
Lee Kyu-chan was speechless at Lee Dae-hyuk's brazen reply.
But seizing the moment, Lee Dae-hyuk unleashed a tirade.
"I'll give you a chance. Surrender to the cops. Say you were threatened. I'll hook you up with a top lawyer. Won't be a long sentence."
"Ha! A lawyer?"
Outraged by the offer, Lee Kyu-chan shouted.
Then.
Weee-ooh-weee-ooh-weee-ooh!
Police sirens blared loudly.
"Damn it."
Lee Kyu-chan clicked his tongue.
With all these witnesses and cops incoming.
Hostage antics would just screw him over.
No point in more thrashing.
Time for the smart choice.
Not to a shiny apartment anymore, but prison.
What could he do?
To shave even a day off his sentence, he had to fold here.
Clang.
He hurled the switchblade to the ground and growled.
"Back off."
Releasing Jeong Hee-ju too, he fully surrendered.
***
The situation resolved smoothly.
Police hauled off the animal masks and Lee Kyu-chan. Jeong Hee-ju and Kim Hak-su gave statements and headed home safely.
Waiting outside the station to greet them... was Lee Dae-hyuk.
"Thank you."
As Kim Hak-su bowed, the pale-faced Jeong Hee-ju bowed too, thanking him.
Lee Dae-hyuk smiled warmly at their gratitude.
"It's fine, as long as you're okay."
Glancing between them, he spoke.
Mission accomplished anyway.
First goal: Save Jeong Hee-ju and earn her trust.
In the original timeline, she'd get stabbed by Lee Kyu-chan and kidnapped.
Losing consciousness from severe bleeding, she'd been dragged to Kim Min-sang in the back seat but barely woke, opened the rear door, and jumped from the moving car.
Rescued by other drivers, but she spent ages in the hospital.
Afterward.
Burned by vengeance, Jeong Hee-ju sorted her father's belongings and found a USB with transaction records.
Realizing why her father died, she resolved to succeed Jeong Min-jun herself.
At a gathering of Eulsa Gang members, she declared she'd become boss.
And with Jeong Min-jun and number two Kim Hak-su dead, the gang needing a nominal boss to hold things together.
Thinking 'use her temporarily,' they put Jeong Hee-ju in the boss seat.
But the civilian adapted with Jeong Min-jun's inherited charisma and revenge drive, and eventually...
Five years later, she plunged a knife into Kim Min-sang's throat.
Perfect revenge.
Yet even after, she couldn't return to normal life.
How could someone bloodied on their hands go back to ordinary?
Thus, Jeong Hee-ju stepped onto the path of underworld queen ruling Korea's shadows, as Lee Dae-hyuk knew her.
But.
"..."
The eyes Jeong Hee-ju now fixed on him showed none of that queen's gaze Kim Geon-woo remembered.
Just pure goodwill and gratitude.
Lee Dae-hyuk liked that look.
As her lifesaver, building trust bit by bit would make her a huge asset.
As he smiled back, Kim Hak-su's raspy voice cut in.
"First off, thanks for the save. But...."
"..."
"How did you know the time and place?"