Chapter 11
Before getting in the taxi, he took out his now-silent Black Label phone.
There were three missed calls.
All from Hwang Ji-young.
“I guess that’s enough for now.”
Since quite some time had passed, he decided to move on to the next place and called her again.
[Bang Hyuk-min!]
Hwang Ji-young screamed as soon as she answered.
He could hear airport noises over the receiver, and he snorted derisively.
[If it’s not true, you won’t die easily. No, I’ll keep you alive. But I’ll kill everyone related to you in the most gruesome way, making your life a living hell.]
She must have heard him laughing.
Hwang Ji-young sounded sharper than usual, so this time he laughed out loud on purpose.
“Yeah, do that later. Find out where the Shadow Broker is near Wolgok-dong. I need to buy something.”
[You’re being reckless.]
She seemed to know what Hyuk-min was up to just from the information request.
“So, you don’t know?”
[I’ll text you the location.]
“Have a pleasant meeting.”
[It won’t take long to verify the truth….]
Click.
He hung up on her unilaterally again.
Hwang Ji-young wasn’t used to this kind of treatment, so she was probably jumping up and down in frustration right now, unable to control her temper.
Wasn’t she the woman who reigned over Seoul, with the nickname “Ice Queen”?
There probably weren’t many people who could do this to Hwang Ji-young, who ran the best information guild and the best assassin company, unless they had multiple lives.
‘I need to knock her down a peg.’
It was only a matter of time before she became an ally anyway.
Once she arrived in Norway and met her husband, Hwang Ji-young would be the one to come crawling back.
About 30 seconds passed.
[Wolgok-dong Homeplus, B4 floor, Disaster Prevention Room.]
He received the location.
He carefully studied the department store blueprint in the text message and started walking.
= = =
Shadow Brokers weren’t affiliated with anyone except the Shadow Broker organization itself.
They were ruthless individuals who, for the right price, would procure anything in the world, and rumor had it that they even sold people.
They did all sorts of things, regardless of whether they were legal or illegal, so their locations were kept secret and only revealed to verified people. Moreover, they were so strict that they didn’t accept new customers.
“Disaster Prevention Room, huh.”
He arrived on the fourth basement floor of the Homeplus building.
He knocked on the door of the Disaster Prevention Room, where the facility team for building management was located.
The door opened, and a man in a facility team uniform appeared.
“What brings you here?”
“A light bulb went out.”
“You could have called.”
“My phone died.”
In an era of smartphones, his phone died?
It was a bit strange, but the man maintained a smile and said casually,
“Oh, you should charge it.”
“It’s on slow charge.”
Another ridiculous statement.
These were the contact phrases from his past life for contacting a Shadow Broker disguised as a facility team member in a building.
But that was in the far future compared to now.
It was possible that the contact phrases or passwords had changed.
The man who seemed to be the Shadow Broker suddenly fell silent.
He felt uneasy for a moment, but then the man, who had been smiling kindly, abruptly wiped the smile off his face.
“What kind of light bulb do you need?”
“I need a 444-watt light bulb.”
“Come in.”
Thank goodness.
It seemed that both the contact phrases and passwords he had used back then were still in use.
‘Whew.’
The Black Label and the Shadow Brokers…
He couldn’t help but feel relieved that the contact phrases he had used in the future were still the same.
The door to the Disaster Prevention Room opened.
It looked like a typical Disaster Prevention Room, but as soon as Hyuk-min entered, the Shadow Broker locked all the doors that had been open.
Then, as if to show off, he removed a few of the well-laid floor tiles, revealing a door leading to the basement.
“What do you need?”
“One Location Tracking Scroll and one Invisibility Scroll.”
“The price of the Invisibility Scroll varies depending on the duration of the invisibility.”
He opened his Inventory and took out a bag of money he had received from selling Magic Stones.
Click.
He opened the money bag, showed the amount, and said,
“I’ll buy as many 10-second scrolls as this money will get me.”
= = =
He returned home.
Worried that his family might be concerned, he quickly washed off the monster’s blue blood and sweat.
Then, he went back to his room and opened his Inventory.
The once-empty Inventory was now filled with quite a few items.
From the items he had obtained from the Demon NPC’s stall to the scrolls he had bought from the Shadow Broker.
Swish.
His hand passed over all the items and took out the remaining money bag.
‘I can’t take it all out, or I won’t be able to explain it to my family. I’ll have to be satisfied with this for now.’
He thought about giving them all the money he had, but he took out exactly thirteen 50,000 won bills from the bag.
After taking out a total of 650,000 won, he put the money bag back into the Inventory, regretting that he couldn’t take more.
He came out of his room.
“Mom, when’s lunch?”
“When did you get here? Do you want me to make you something? I’ll make it quickly.”
It was Sunday today.
His dad was someone who worked without weekends, so he wasn’t home, but his mom and younger sister were.
Even though it was a bother, his mom, who had been lying on the sofa with a groan, jumped up to prepare a meal because it was her son’s request.
“Oh, and I have something to give you.”
How much he had missed seeing their faces.
His family was the reason he had tried so hard to survive in his past life, and they were the reason he had to live in this life as well.
He had one goal in both his past and present lives.
Revenge.
Even amidst his firm resolve, the name he longed to see. Family.
“Huh? Give me?”
He handed his mom 450,000 won, which he had prepared in advance, out of the 650,000 won.
“I’ve been working hard lately, so this is the money I received.”
“Oh, my son….”
He was just doing what he should have been doing all along.
Her son, who had never given her pocket money before, was finally trying to be a son, and his mom started to tear up again.
She had been tearing up quite often lately.
Or maybe she had always been tearful, and he just hadn’t noticed.
“No, son, you use it. Our son is out in the world now, you might need money. No! Should Mom give you pocket money? Mom wants to give our son pocket money.”
“No.”
Hyuk-min forcibly pressed the 450,000 won into his mom’s hand.
“I have a lot of money.”
His mom’s hand twitched, trying to give him pocket money, but he didn’t budge.
Maybe it would have been different when he was a shut-in.
But now, with his Stats rising and slowly reaching the ranks of a superhuman, his mom couldn’t overcome Hyuk-min’s strength.
The 450,000 won was crumpled and squeezed into his mom’s clenched fist.
In the end, his mom burst into tears.
“Oh, Mom?”
His mom suddenly hugged the flustered Hyuk-min.
“I’m sorry. Was I too harsh?”
He thought that his mom was in pain because he had used force.
Or maybe she didn’t like that her son had used his strength to override her will.
But that was Hyuk-min’s misunderstanding.
The reason his mom was crying wasn’t something so trivial.
“No, our son! You’re so reliable, you could get married. You’ve grown up so much~ You’ve gained muscle, you’ve gotten bigger, I can’t beat you with strength anymore.”
She said she couldn’t beat him, but tears were flowing, and her lips were full of smiles.
His mom wasn’t crying because she was sad.
She was crying because she was happy.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect our family now.”
Creak.
The door opened, and his younger sister peeked her face out.
The tears in his younger sister’s eyes made him realize once again how much his family had suffered from the wrong choices he had made.
“Mom, I’m going to talk to Hee-rim for a bit.”
“Okay, Hee-rim wanted to talk to you too. She didn’t believe me when I said her brother had changed.”
The door to his younger sister’s room opened.
And Hee-rim was standing in the middle.
With each step he took towards Hee-rim, memories of his past life flashed by like a panorama, stabbing at Hyuk-min’s heart.
After his father passed away, how hard had she worked to protect the immature Hyuk-min, acting as the head of the household until their remaining mother passed away as well.
Hee-rim’s dark face from his past life and Hee-rim’s tearful face from his present life overlapped.
It was an old memory from his past life, but the memory was still vividly beside Hyuk-min, like an indelible mark.
Hee-rim from his past life, who was full of worries and concerns about the hopeless reality but forced a smile.
And Hee-rim from his present life, who was tearful but smiling happily.
-Are you okay?
The first answer he received from Hee-rim was the same in both his past and present lives.
“Are you okay?”
But the meaning behind it was completely different.
‘I’m sorry. My sister.’
Thump.
His heart ached.
He forced back his tears and smiled brightly.
“Why are you crying?”
These words weren’t spoken by Hyuk-min.
It was Hee-rim who said them to Hyuk-min, who was smiling.
He was smiling, but tears were flowing from his eyes.
He roughly wiped them away with his sleeve and smiled brightly at Hee-rim.
“This brother is working now! Here!”
Knowing that she wouldn’t accept it if he just gave it to her, he forcibly stuffed the 200,000 won that he had prepared separately into Hee-rim’s pocket.
“What’s this?”
“If you give it back, I won’t work anymore.”
“So, what is it?”
He grabbed Hee-rim’s hand, which was trying to take the money out.
Perhaps she felt that Hyuk-min’s strength, which had always been weak and losing, had changed.
Hee-rim’s eyes widened.
“Oppa, now that I see it. It seems like your body has gotten better too…”
“Check the gift later, and just know that this is just a drop in the bucket. If you run out of this, call this brother. Brat.”
He awkwardly ruffled her hair a few times and said,
“Save it.”
Just as he was wondering what to do next, his mom said,
“Dinner’s ready~ Let’s eat.”
“Yes~ I’m coming.”
Before going to check on the danger facing his family.
Hyuk-min felt with his whole body how the future would change if he made the right choices, and he vowed once again.
‘I’ll protect them now.’
It had been a series of wrong choices where he had always been protected.
He wouldn’t go back to that anymore.
He would protect the present life that had been changed to the right choice. No, the choice he should have made all along.
He would protect the family that had finally returned to normal.
Clench.
He swore with his clenched fists and his heart.
= = =
He didn’t go out until dinner time to be with his family.
His mom said they should buy something delicious with the pocket money Hyuk-min had given her, so she ordered jokbal and bossam.
Even his father, who had come home from work and showered, joined in, and for the first time, all the family members gathered together and had a lively conversation.
Seeing his family laughing at even the smallest things, he felt happy and at ease, and on the other hand.
Even though they were just sitting and talking about how their day had been, the atmosphere at dinner seemed as warm as spring.
“Did you all hear? Since a Legendary Title holder appeared this time, the government is stepping in.”
He didn’t expect his mom to bring this up.
He had thought that obtaining the Legendary Title would have repercussions for ordinary families as well, but he didn’t expect it to be his own family.
Well, since he had obtained the Legendary Title, which only one person in the world had.
It wasn’t that surprising that he was on the lips of everyone in the country.
“I wonder who it is? It’s strange that he has the same name as Oppa.”
Hyuk-min was startled for a moment at Hee-rim’s words.
But fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately.
None of his family members thought that Hyuk-min had obtained the Legendary Title.
“That’s right. Honey, have you heard anything about it at work?”
His dad shook his head at his mom’s question.
“Everyone’s making a fuss about it. That story here, that story there. Even if I just go to a restaurant, it’s all that story, so I can’t help but know about it even if I don’t want to?”
“It’s a big deal. If he comes out soon, the government will at least be able to try something.”
“These days, everyone at school is talking about it. Now that a Legendary Title holder has appeared in Korea, China and Japan won’t be able to treat Korea carelessly.”
He couldn’t do that now, but maybe later when he had swept up all the Hidden and Titles.
He quietly lowered his head and ate his rice.
But then, that arrow flew towards Hyuk-min.
“Oppa, have you heard anything about it at work lately?”
“Ah, hahaha, I haven’t heard anything?”
“Really? I wonder who it is?”
The warm spring energy was pushed back by the sunlight of the Legendary Title, and the atmosphere became heated.
Even sweat was starting to break out, and the comfortable dinner table felt like a bed of thorns.
‘I’m the one who’s dying to say it.’
But he couldn’t say it yet.
Because the repercussions of saying it would 100 percent have a negative impact on his family.
He couldn’t say it until he was confident that he could overcome all the dangers that would come to his family.
“I’m done eating!”
To escape the conversation, he hurriedly got up from his seat and put his rice bowl in the sink.
Then, without giving anyone a chance to say anything, he changed his clothes and headed out.
“Are you going out somewhere?”
“Ah! Now that I think about it, I have some overtime left. The pay is good if I work in the evening, so I think it’s better to do it now.”
As he was about to open the door and leave, his dad said,
“No matter how much you like work, your health comes first. Take it easy in the evening. You might get hurt.”
“Yes, Dad.”
He closed the front door with a bright smile.
As he walked outside towards the Shindang Department Store, he looked up at the veranda of his house, feeling regretful about the dinner.
At that moment, the words “Jisu Construction” on his dad’s work clothes hanging on the drying rack caught his eye, and the regret disappeared, leaving only cold anger.
Hyuk-min’s steps, which had been hesitant, no longer stopped.
There were still more than 20 days left until the incident would happen.
Nevertheless, the reason he was moving so busily was clear.
‘The danger that’s coming. I need to see it with my own eyes.’
At least he needed to know what the danger that was coming was.
That way, he could prevent any danger.
“Taxi.”
Acting recklessly had ended in his past life.
In this life, as he had vowed and sworn, he intended to take care of all the dangers in his own way.
Even if that meant destroying the number one guild in Korea.
“Please take me to the department store that’s being newly built in Shindang-dong.”