Double Junk - 114

“What, what?”

The police widened their eyes at the unexpected words. The organization members exclaimed in terror.

“Boss! What are you saying?”

“Boss, you can’t do this!”

“Absolutely not! We’d rather die here with you!”

The ground trembled as the hefty men rolled their feet. The floor, covered in blood and bodies, vibrated in an eerie manner. The frightened police officers gathered together.

Even though the world might have changed, and intelligence might pave the way, it was still a world where one could only succumb to power. It was a world of easy crime, gambling, violence, fraud, deception, and pleasure. That was the world Seokju lived in.

Seokju turned his head slightly to look at the police officers.

“Got that? My family’s ready to fight to the death.”

“…”

“So make your choice quickly. Either take me alone, or we all die here together, me, my family, and yours.”

The police officers’ eyes darted around busily.

And 10 minutes later.

Click. Handcuffs were fastened around Seokju’s wrist.

While the organization members screamed as if the world were collapsing, Seokju, with handcuffs on his wrists and dressed in a drab prison uniform, looked calmly at the edge of the table. Despite wearing cheap prison clothes, his broad shoulders and bulging chest muscles were still intimidating. Even though his hands were shackled, the police unconsciously repeated the action of pulling back and forth on the chair.

The police twirled the pencil between their fingers and continued speaking.

“I’ll handle this situation well, so just pay bail and leave. Huh? We’re uncomfortable being here as well. What’s so good about sitting here? Everyone’s making a fuss because they can’t get out.”

“…”

“Your family members are demanding your release at the police station. They’re causing a scene, threatening to take my place, set fire to the police station, and even lie down and cry. It’s so noisy we might just turn back.”

“…”

“My goodness, we only responded because of Park’s report call. If someone saw, they’d think we took down Kang. Why didn’t they just send someone instead of coming here themselves? Even if they had sent a lower-level member, we would have handled it well.”

The police sighed deeply. But Seokju still didn’t respond. The police tapped the desk in front of Seokju.

“Hey, Boss Kang. Say something.”

In a mixture of irritation and pleading, Seokju finally looked at him. Despite losing some weight from being ill for a few days, his jawline remained sharp. Nevertheless, he was still handsome.

The police clicked their tongue inwardly. If I were born with that face, I would have swept the world, seducing women left and right. It’s such a waste to only be doing gangster activities. I really felt sorry for him.

Seokju licked his dry lips and finally spoke.

“I’m a criminal. A gangster, a thug. Can a police officer openly say they’ll side with me?”

The police chuckled with a tone of reproach. His belly, swollen generously, rumbled.

“Oh, Boss Kang, you’re still young.”

At the incomprehensible words, Seokju narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t exactly young at thirty-three. He should have been married at the usual age for marriage, with five kids by now.

The police officer, who had been staring at Seokju’s face, set down the pencil he had been holding. Suddenly, Seokju seemed more at ease, even pushing his upper body forward.

“Boss Kang. This is Seoul. It’s a pretty big city even on a global scale. In a city like this, overflowing with money and people, do you think there’s only one gangster?”

“No…”

“No, there are plenty. They sprout up like weeds. When a few guys get together, they start engaging in gang activities.”

“And when those few become ten, twenty, or fifty. Then our police spend money and shed blood to crack down on them. But then tomorrow, new gangsters emerge. And if we catch and throw them in jail, they just keep coming.”

“We would rather have someone like Taeho Faction, who behaves decently, like a true man, pays taxes diligently, and even mediates with the Chinese and Japanese guys, those patriots, right? If they establish themselves in Seoul and prevent other gangs from settling, we’d be grateful.”

“Then we’d only have to deal with Boss Kang.”

The police gestured alternately between himself and Seokju. Perhaps recalling the numerous organizations he had encountered in Seoul, he shuddered. The police picked up the pencil again. And tapping the desk rhythmically with the pencil’s eraser, he continued speaking.

“Until now, the Jung-ho Faction guys have been taking care of that business, but the kids weren’t up to par. They harassed women, mugged people on the streets, and even turned over vegetable shops and laundries. After all that, they shamelessly asked us to clean up for them. Damn it, sometimes they even asked us to kill people.”

“But they had grown quite big, so we couldn’t just nab them. Mr. Park had some connections with the higher-ups.”

“But!”

The police pounded the desk with his fist. A deep laughter rose at the corner of his mouth. It was a genuinely satisfied expression.

“Boss Kang took care of the Jung-ho Faction. That’s true patriotism. Even a medal wouldn’t be enough.”

“So, just leave now. Sometimes come and help us out a bit, and we’ll help Boss Kang too. Let’s live moderately while maintaining a cooperative relationship. Right?”

The police clasped his hands together as if pleading, shaking them. There was anticipation in his eyes. Is this enough? Can we reconcile now and be friends? That’s what his expression conveyed.

Seokju clenched and unclenched his hands bound in handcuffs. Then he stared intently at the police. As he seemed about to speak, the police leaned forward. Seokju’s dry lips trembled slowly.

“I…”

“Yeah, go on.”

“I have no intention of leaving.”

The police, with his mouth slightly agape, held his breath.

Silence filled the space. The police, who had been sitting blankly, began to fidget in his seat. As if suffocating, he pounded his chest with his fist.

“Oh, really, Boss Kang! Is this how it’s going to be!”

Seokju entered the visitation room with brisk steps. Beyond the narrow window frame, he saw a familiar face. It was Deokjae.

Seokju sank into the chair arranged for him. A faint smile graced his lips. It was a smile mixed with a bit of joy and excitement from being able to gather information from the outside world that he had cut off for a while.

Abandoning his family and coming here. Shameless, really. Yet, for Seokju, this situation was the best for now.

Deokjae, dressed neatly in a robe, pulled the chair closer and sat down.

“Hyung-nim, how’s your health?”

“I’m fine. The wounds are stitched up, and the inflammation has subsided.”

“Ah… That’s a relief.”

He must have been terrified, thinking I was injured. Deokjae patted Seokju’s face with rough hands. He also let out a sigh of relief. Weariness filled his tired face.

Taking over what Myungjin used to do was already exhausting enough. But with Seokjae’s absence to handle as well, it was almost unbearable. It wasn’t just physically draining, but mentally too, not having the two people who had been here like father and brother.

As Deokjae let out a sigh of relief, Seokju spoke without giving him a chance to relax. It was a stark contrast to when he was with the police.

“Have you found Park Ki-heon?”

Ki-heon disappeared. He vanished with his arm cut off, an ax embedded in his shoulder. When Seokju was taken by the police, and the remaining members rushed up to the boss’s office to cut off the air supply, only bloody poems and corpses were left.

They had searched everywhere, but there had been no news for a whole week. Seokju was on the verge of exploding. He wished he could just slit his throat instead of his arm. He should have seen the neck of the man writhing on the ground. He regretted it hundreds of times a day.

“We haven’t found him yet. It seems like he’s not in Seoul.”

“And his family?”

“They moved to a small house and are living together. It doesn’t seem like Park Ki-heon is visiting them.”

“I see. Keep watching.”

“Yes… Ugh, you told me not to touch that bastard and his son, so I just sent them away. But still, it’s frustrating.”

Deokjae clenched his fists tightly. Seokju had told him to send a bomb to Ki-heon’s house, but that wasn’t the truth. Of course, he sent a bomb and indeed blew up Ki-heon’s house.

But there were no casualties. Ki-heon’s wife and children only cried while watching their burning house, without a scratch.

It was because Seokju didn’t want innocent people to shed blood anymore. Deokjae initially disagreed with that order, but soon came to accept it.

The Taehwapa had always been like that. They never harmed those who were innocent or unrelated to their gangster activities. It was all because of Seokju’s father’s words, saying that even gangster activities should be done in moderation.

There had been an exception to that belief not long ago. But Deokjae didn’t think it was solely Seokju’s fault. It was everyone’s sin.