episode_0226

Usually, it causes annoyance and boredom, making time feel long. Sometimes, the time spent meaninglessly feels incredibly wasteful. Yet, there are times when even that wasted time is a pleasure. There are moments when even the time that’s thrown away is delightful, joyful, and filled with anticipation. Case by case. Although it varies depending on the situation, I was extremely vulnerable to waiting. Waiting for money to come in was difficult. Lag or loading times when using the internet also made me curse. I hated waiting so much that I frequently went to Korean buffets where there was no need to wait, just to eat lunch quickly and rest. They say waiting for a girlfriend in the early stages of dating is even happy, but I wonder. I wouldn’t know, never having experienced it.

It’s the same now, waiting from my spot on the rooftop. It hasn’t been long, but I’m already filled with irritation. It feels like holding a customer service call, stuck in a waiting queue. Irritation 3, Annoyance 3, Boredom 2, Cursing-inducing 2. I suppose that’s what my terrible mood would be if converted into stats right now. And the bonus feeling, the intuitive sense that perhaps the Korean characteristic of perceiving waiting not as an aesthetic, but as a sin, is largely at play.

It’s a necessary wait regardless. I calm my mind and gaze intently at the road. A deep breath— a flick— “Hoo~” I lit a cigarette, a trick rumored to make a bus that isn’t coming appear. “…They really came.” The urban legend circulating among smokers was true. As soon as I took a drag from my cigarette, three black vehicles appeared. They resembled armored cars, but with a much more luxurious appearance. Their approach, lined up like string sausages, was almost a welcome sight.

‘…They’re all uniformly lacking individuality, these bastards.’ Their behavior, clearly showing where to aim, was laughable. Anyway, they followed in the end. The unpleasant feeling mixed with hostility has never been wrong. Those guys are going to have a very hard time today.

Thud- Thud- I leaned a 2m long pipe against the railing, completing the setup. They’re the bad ones. It’s their fault for turning me, who was peacefully farming with my family, into a violent person. Self-defense, protecting myself from an armed stalker with a history of murder and mental illness. I am innocent, in danger, and have the right to defend myself. Therefore, everything that happens from now on is blameless.

“Huuuu…” I inhaled deeply from the cigarette smoke and exhaled slowly. I picked up a pipe and got into a throwing stance. The timing was right for the first car to pass in front of me.

Creak- Groan- I twisted my body to its limit, keeping my gaze fixed on the target. Whizz! Thwack! Swoosh! The hollow pipe shot through the air with a menacing sound, tearing the wind. Crash!

The car’s body jolted, lifting as if a landmine had exploded beneath it. The pipe, thrown as if to be plunged down from a three-story height, struck the first car. It not only pierced through the car’s roof and side but also impaled itself into the asphalt below. Leaving the now skewed metal lump, which had lost its balance and was impaled, I aimed for the next.

Swoosh! The pipe thrown at the trailing car flew accurately into the driver’s seat. Crash! As the driver’s seat was pierced, I saw blood splatter against the front windshield. The front of the car tilted to the ground, its rear rising diagonally, frozen in place.

Whoosh- Thud~ Patapat! I immediately leaped from the rooftop, rocketing forward. My target was the middle vehicle, stopped perfectly intact. Matching the distance, I maintained my running speed and brought my right knee up to my chest. Thwack!

Adding the recoil of leaning my upper body back, I powerfully kicked the side of the car. Screech-Crack! Unable to withstand the impact, the car body was deeply dented and rolled away, flying in the direction it was hit. The quickly rolling car skidded across the ground until it hit the curb on the opposite lane and finally stopped.

Creak- Clank- I turned my gaze to the sound of misaligned hinges. Dogs were trying to open the back door of the first car, stumbling out. They clutched their heads, unable to steady themselves, but still held onto their guns. Fighting spirit? Muscle memory from repeated training? It didn’t matter. I approached the guys struggling to get out with quick steps.

“!!” Just as one guy was about to step onto the ground, he recognized me and tried to shoot. Grab- Twisting the hand holding the gun outwards. Crack! I aimed for the black helmet’s face and delivered a direct hit.

“Gah!” “Oh?” Surprisingly, the helmet held. Although the visor was shattered and his head lolled as his body collapsed, he wasn’t dead. I’d put enough force into it to easily burst a zombie’s head, but he didn’t die. Admiring the helmet’s unexpectedly good performance, I reached out my hand.

Grab- Whoosh! I extended my arm at high speed, as if grabbing the lower part of his face and twisting. Snap-crackle-pop! Unable to withstand the speed, the man’s neck made a violent bone-breaking sound. The opponent, who for the first and last time in his life saw his own back and butt directly, fell backward.

“……” I could feel the three guys inside freeze, holding their breath. It seemed like their brains had stopped, as they didn’t even twitch a finger. I didn’t know what expressions were hidden inside those black-coated helmets, but I greeted them with a fresh smile and explained.

“This is the invincible Seagal-style martial arts.” Seagal-style martial arts, which demonstrates invincible power in 1:1 situations, narrow spaces, especially kitchens.

“Damn it!” “Hmph.” With dull shouts muffled by their helmets, I rushed at the guys who were trying to respond. Dealing with them, who couldn’t even stand properly due to the external impact and the tilted car body, was instantaneous. If they tried to shoot, I twisted their arms and forcefully wrenched their jaws. Even if they struggled to get up, their minds reeling from the impact, I twisted their jaws.

“Aaaargh!” The last guy, yelling a scream that was neither a battle cry nor a desperate shout, tackled me. “You damn man, clinging on and making a fuss.” “?!?!” Thud- Whoosh! The guillotine choke, which I had always wanted to try someday. I applied it directly to the guy who had exposed his weakness defenselessly and put strength into my arm.

“Gurgle?!” Snap-crackle-pop- “Ah, damn it….” I aimed for the unprotected neck, but his neck bones simply shattered. I looked around and saw that everything inside was taken care of. There was one more, but unfortunately, he was impaled by a pipe and hanging limply.

“……” I quickly exited the car and headed for the driver’s seat. “Ah.” “Die!” Bang-bang-bang! The guy who already had his gun aimed didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. I briefly hid, then crouched low and burst out.

Woosh! Bang-bang-bang-bang! Barely dodging the whistling sound of bullets past my ear, I stuck to the guy. As I closed the distance, I straightened my waist and nervously threw a punch upward. Thwack!

Though the impact sound was crisp, the guy who took the blow, which was anything but soft internally, shot into the air. And then… Splat! The guy, who had flown several meters into the air before falling straight down, didn’t move. From his helmet, bloodied pulp seeped out, his elbows and lower knees twisted in strange directions. I looked down at my hand rather than the corpse.

“What on earth are these made of?” It felt good to hit, but the impact felt slightly cushioned. I didn’t know for sure, but I realized with certainty that what these guys were wearing was high-performance gear. ‘Admiration later.’ First, I snatched the knife from the waist of the guy who had turned into a corpse. It was inferior to the knife I had given Hong Soohee earlier, but it was still usable. I lightly gripped the knife and immediately moved to the rear vehicle.

‘…None?’ There were no other personnel in the third car. I didn’t feel any signs of living humans inside. There was only one driver, pierced through the solar plexus by the pipe I had thrown, his head slumped, breath stopped. Just in case, I opened the back door and checked inside.

“Wow… look at these bastards?” Opening the door wide, I gasped in a small admiring way. Several guns, neatly arranged on racks, caught my eye. Besides those, various large and small miscellaneous boxes were packed tightly and orderly. It seemed this car was both a golden carriage and an armory. I briefly poked my head out to the side and checked the car in the middle. It seemed that the team leader and General Manager Kim were inside, but they still weren’t crawling out.

“Good for me.” I slowly curled the corners of my lips upwards. While those guys were cowering inside, I stepped into the car and opened my inventory. I swept up all the nicely maintained, cool firearms, running my hand over them. I also took all the cleanly designed ammo boxes and the sharply cornered crates. What’s inside them can wait. For now, I’ll just take them. It was a strange pleasure, like abandoning the boss and only taking the rewards. Normally, I would try to escape the dungeon immediately, but not today. It didn’t take long to finish off the stragglers and loot their supplies.

“Hmm…” The guys in the middle car still showed no signs of coming out. To show off my leisure, I took out a cigarette, put it in my mouth, and approached the overturned car. Inside the heavily damaged, overturned car, I could feel the presence of several people. ‘Are they messing around in there? Why aren’t they coming out?’ They didn’t come out even when my cigarette was halfway burned, so I decided to force them out. Just as I was about to break in, something caught my eye. A strong-smelling liquid was slowly spreading, wetting the ground. Fuel was leaking from the car. It seemed the fuel tank was damaged when it rolled on the ground…

“…Good.” I couldn’t help but let my lips twist into a smirk at the good idea. Stepping back slightly, I pulled out a jerry can’s worth of gasoline from my inventory. I poured it all over the overturned car, drenching it thoroughly. Pour- Splish-splash- As soon as I widened the distance, I lightly flicked the cigarette butt with its remaining ember. And then I immediately hid behind the third car.

Whoosh! The flames, ignited from one end, smoothly enveloped the car. The blaze turned into a roaring fire, burning even the ominous black smoke upwards. Every time I heard a crackling sound, the flames grew larger. ‘They’ll come out on their own if they don’t want to become steamed meat alive.’ A moment later, as the black smoke dangerously swelled and billowed into the air.

Bang! Crash- Thud! Finally, the car’s back door opened, and the dogs began to scramble out. Two figures without helmets. The team leader was desperately trying to pull General Manager Kim away from the burning car. Just as a few more guys joined them and came out. Boom! Whoosh!

Something exploded in the car, and flames shot up powerfully once again. While everyone’s attention was momentarily captivated by the inferno, the team leader quickly collected himself. “Snap out of it and gather up, all of you!” Even though they seemed stunned, they quickly formed a defensive formation in an orderly fashion. For a team leader, his attempt to manage the situation was commendable. Even those rabble, exuding an elite aura, looked decent.

Smirk~ I chuckled softly, anticipating the satisfaction of crushing them. ‘Shall I see their reaction?’ I aimed for the head of one of the helmeted guys. Whoosh- Swish!

I threw the stolen knife, and the reaction upon hitting was immediate. Thwack! Snap! The knife couldn’t penetrate and bounced off, and the hit guy’s head snapped back at a right angle. ‘It is tough, after all.’ As they fell into a panic, seeing their comrade suddenly collapse, I kicked off from my spot.

Thud! I put power into my legs and leaped high. The moment I dropped into the midst of the panicking guys. “Wh-what?!” “A monster—” This son of a bitch.

Thwack! I slammed my fist into the face of the guy who tried to call me a monster. The helmet’s visor shattered, and the guy, falling headfirst, died instantly. Without breaking my flow, I reached out to the guy next to him. Whoosh- Crunch! I crushed his cervical vertebrae with a twisting motion beneath his jaw.

“!!” As the startled guy aimed his gun, I extended both hands. Clatter- Grab! Click-clack- “Gah?!” I struck the muzzle and the body of the gun in different directions, disarming him. I snatched the gun spinning in the air and loaded it. I quickly placed my finger on the trigger and gently pulled.

Pew-pew-pew! “Aaargh!” Perhaps because of the silencer, the gunshot sound was incredibly faint. At this level, it might as well be nearly silent compared to a regular gunshot. The bullet hit his torso, but he didn’t die. I confirmed it once more. Given that he was still mostly intact, just trembling and screaming in pain, those protective gears must have considerable defense.

Pew-pew-pew! Pip-pip-pip! Even the helmet and the parts covering the limbs. I shot at each one to check, and they withstood the bullets. However, they couldn’t dissipate the impact; the hit guys writhed and fell. As half of them were incapacitated in an instant, the team leader’s eyes widened. Recognizing me and looking intensely glad to see me…

“Return fire! Kill him!” I rushed and closed in on the guy who was about to unleash a barrage of bullets. “Ugh?!” Crack! I swung the rifle butt upwards from below, striking his jaw. His head snapped back, and as he lost his balance, I wrapped my arm around the team leader’s neck and grabbed his back. With my left hand, I strongly hooked the back of his neck, simultaneously extending my arm to push the team leader forward.

“Gasp!” “St-stop firing!” The team leader, enraged, screamed desperately at his momentarily confused and hesitant subordinates. “Ugh! Sh-shoot! You idiots!” “Exactly. You should’ve shot immediately.” The leader, true to his rank, didn’t lose consciousness despite taking a hit to the jaw and losing strength. He bravely shouted, perhaps trusting his armor, but it was meaningless. His subordinates hesitated, making a man’s bravado pointless. I didn’t hesitate. I placed the gun barrel on the team leader’s shoulder and pulled the trigger on the hesitating guys.

Pew-pew-pew! Feeling the crisp impact sound of the silenced gunshots in a different sense, I brought them down. “Gurgle?” “Uuuugh…” The result of aiming for their vulnerable necks and pulling the trigger was good. They gurgled, spitting foamy blood through the gaps in their helmets. And all the guys who had been facing me rolled on the ground. Throwing their guns aside, they carefully clutched their necks with both hands, and thanks to their trained bodies, stubbornly clung to life. They coughed violently, as if blood reflux was blocking their windpipes. With each cough, blood gushed and seeped from their necks as if bursting forth.

“Ughh! Th-this son of a bitch!” “What, you punk?” “You, you! I’ll kill you—” Had he gotten heated seeing his subordinates fall? The team leader, with a violent struggle, pulled out a knife and tried to slash my wrist.

“This bastard.” “Aaaaargh!” As I put strength into the hand gripping the back of his neck, the team leader’s body stiffened as if electrocuted. He trembled violently in intense pain and dropped the knife to the ground. Pushing him forward, I approached the guys who were writhing in pain from being hit in the wrong places. And one by one, I put a hole in their necks, finishing them off.

But then… “?” One guy, who should have been among the fallen, was nowhere to be seen. I turned my gaze and searched for the sneaky rat who had fled alone. “Wow~ when did he get all the way over there?”

That was truly typical of his opportunism. General Manager Kim had sprinted at full speed in the opposite direction in a short time. Even though he must have been uncomfortable in dress shoes, his footwork was flashy. However, perhaps because he hadn’t trained, his speed was pathetic.

“Th-that traitor…” “Enough of your nonsense. You, sleep for a bit.” I slightly twisted my left hand, inflicting pain that cut off the team leader’s consciousness. I gripped the gun with both hands and took a proper stance. Recalling the shooting method I had learned from Incheol, I aligned General Manager Kim’s distant, running back in my sights. Relaxing, I kept the gun barrel steady. My finger rested lightly and smoothly on the trigger.

“Huuuu…” I exhaled slowly and deeply. Increasing my focus, I suppressed any minute body movements. Matching that, I slowly held my breath, pursuing the target. Slowly, delicately. Then, the moment my breathing stopped.

Thwip! “Aaaargh!!!!!!!!” General Manager Kim, running far ahead, collapsed, clutching his thigh. General Manager Kim, rolling on the ground, screamed beautifully.

“Hoo! Good shot. Or rather, a nice shot?” I clenched my fist at the strange and exhilarating pleasure. It seemed this was why people enjoyed shooting as a sport. I always thought one should keep learning, but I had learned something incredibly good and very useful from Incheol.

“I should get him something good.” I moved my steps, thinking of a gift list for my younger brother who had not held back his teachings. “Though I looooved~♫ I looooved youuuu~♬~♪” A rare clean finish. I felt good. In a good mood, I hummed my favorite work song.

General Manager Kim, whom I approached, was crawling on the ground, unaware of my arrival. Blood gushed from his thigh, yet he didn’t stop. It must have been painful, but he was unusually tenacious.

“Ughhh…!!” “You’re really trying hard.” “Wh-what?! You, you?!!” General Manager Kim, who was crawling, flipped over, startled by my voice.

“Yeah. It’s me.” General Manager Kim’s pupils trembled as if he had just recognized me. “L-Lee Deokgyu!! Why on earth are you…” “Ah. My name isn’t Lee Deokgyu.”

“…What?” I stepped closer to General Manager Kim and looked down at him arrogantly. “You might have questions for me, but what I’m curious about is more urgent.” “Ugh…!” “Let’s have a talk.”

Grab- “Aaaargh!! Let go! Let me go, you bastard—aaaack!!!” I lifted the ankle of his leg, which had been hit by a bullet. And then, I slowly approached the unconscious team leader. The sun quickly set, and darkness began to fall over the streets. But it didn’t matter. A man’s conversation doesn’t distinguish time. The approaching long night promised ample time. I intended to have a calm and deep conversation with the two individuals I had intentionally left alive. Sticky and lingering. Originally, I didn’t like waiting, but… This time, I began to have a feeling that the time spent waiting for the answers I wanted would be enjoyable.