Chapter 4: Hand Over My Money (2)
Translator: miraclerifle
Something odd happened at that moment.
The knife became hot and the bodies of the people around him started to turn red. This was something only Ju-Heon who was holding the knife could see. Ju-Heon could instantly figure out what it was doing.
‘It’s letting me see the organs?’
He felt as if he could see the bones once he turned the knife a bit.
That was the case. This was like seeing an x-ray in real time.
Park Kyung Tae must have thought Ju-Heon was playing around with the knife as he started to shout.
“Hey, you bastard! Put down that knife!”
He then picked up a brick from the ground and charged toward Ju-Heon.
“You motherfucking bastard! It looks like you learned some martial arts or something!”
Although he had used the knife to look cool, Park Kyung Tae was known for his fighting abilities in the past. He had been a thug for a long time. In comparison, the young Ju-Heon wasn't even a real thug. Even if he was holding a knife, he would not be able to handle a real fighter who also had something in his hand.
“Don’t show off, you bastard!”
However.
“Huh?”
Something unexpected happened.
Ju-Heon's hand that seemed to be turning the knife disappeared.
No, it looked like it disappeared. Once he realized that, Park Kyung Tae started to scream after feeling a terrible pain at his side.
“Aaah! You bastard!”
“Hyung-nim!”
It felt as if a hot iron had cut his side. Park Kyung Tae started to roll on the ground while holding his bleeding side.
“Ow! Fuck!”
However, Park Kyung Tae could not understand this situation. Ju-Heon was weird just now.
Learning a weird martial arts was one thing. It was something that was doable if he trained like hell in the short time they didn't see him.
However, the way he used the knife right now was not at a regular person's skill level, it seemed more like a homicidal maniac.
‘...This bastard used to be scared of even seeing blood, so what......?!’
It even felt as if he was trying to cut off a piece of his flesh and not trying to stab him like a normal person. He started to think that this would be how a pig feels if they were butchered while still alive.
“Hyung-nim, are you okay?! Hyung-nim!”
Ju-Heon swung the knife around and approached them as they shouted. The men flinched as Ju-Heon got closer.
“D, don't come any closer! Are you planning on killing the hyung-nim?!”
Ju-Heon started to laugh.
“Stop exaggerating, I didn’t even stab him that deep.”
“F, fuck! Don’t get any closer!”
They looked pale as they shouted and fell to the ground. They looked so scared that they might start peeing their pants soon.
It made sense that they were scared. It was not normal to see this little kid whose only strength was using his brain suddenly became an expert at martial arts and using a knife.
They could only come to a single conclusion.
“R, right! He must be possessed! A ghost must have possessed him!”
“A ghost?”
“How else can you explain this?!”
Ju-Heon started to chuckle. No matter what, wasn’t it too much to say he was possessed?
The martial arts was one thing, but the knife was him just using the artifact.
That was the case. These bastards might have used the knife thinking this decorative item is pretty and what not, but this was an artifact.
It was a < Possession-Type > artifact.
Ju-Heon had just used the internal force of this artifact.
‘Based on the hieratic text (Egyptian priest text), it must be an Egyptian artifact.’
Although he didn’t know for certain without appraising it, there was a high chance it was related to a high ranking embalmer (priest) from ancient Egypt.
They would cut through a corpse’s body with precision to remove the organs. That was probably why he could see other people's organs and location of their bones when he activated this knife.
Furthermore, possession-type artifacts allowed the user to use the original owner’s abilities. In simple terms, even someone who does not know how to use a sword can become an expert using an artifact.
‘But it is at max a consumable C-Grade (general-grade) artifact.’
A C-Grade artifact was something that was only at the level to surprise a regular person, and a consumable artifact will break after using it a few times.
Of course, C-Grade artifacts were low-grade artifacts during Ju-Heon’s past.
‘It is probably quite precious right now.’
The laughing Ju-Heon then started to walk toward Park Kyung Tae. Park Kyung Tae instantly fell on his ass like an animal about to be butchered.
“Damn it, t, t, this bastard, really!”
However, these thugs still had their pride as thugs, no, pride as men.
This extremely young bastard. It felt unfair to lower their heads to this bastard who had never tried to fight them back as they beat him up!
Lo and behold, Park Kyung Tae opened his eyes wide as he started to shout.
“Hey! Are you just going to watch this?! Hurry up and take out any knives or weapons you got and kill him! Hurry up!”
“Yes, yes! Hyung-nim!”
Ju-Heon clicked his tongue after hearing that.
“Looks like you idiots haven’t been punished enough.”
And then...
Ju-Heon pointed the knife at Park Kyung Tae's neck as if he was annoyed. It was a simple threat, however, Park Kyung Tae forgot all about his pride as a man as the cold blade touched his skin. It really felt as if he would die if Ju-Heon pushed any farther.
“Aigoooo, stop! Seo Ju-Heon, you ungrateful bastard!”
“Hyu, hyung-nim!”
Park Kyung Tae looked ready to cry. Honestly speaking, the thugs these days were cowards who didn’t really know how to fight.
In comparison, Ju-Heon had come from an era where people were used to killing one another for artifacts. Something like this was child's play.
Of course, Park Kyung Tae who had no way of knowing that was shaking in fear.
‘Shit, did we stress this bastard to the point he went crazy or did he really get possessed by a ghost.’
Either way, they had touched someone they should not touch.
But regret was useless at this point. The only thing he could do right now as he sat there in fear was this.
“I'm sorry sir! I'm sorry so please forgive me! I will get you your overdue pay and compensation package right away!”
His tone had even changed.
Ju-Heon happily pulled the knife back and responded.
“Good. Then I will be generous and give you thirty minutes so bring it now.”
However, Park Kyung Tae started to roll his eyes to come up with a plan even as he was groveling. He still could not accept just doing whatever this bastard told him to do.
He needed to get away from this situation to find a chance to step on this bastard again. Park Kyung Tae gulped and started to speak after thinking of a plan.
“Umm, you see, sir......”
“Is there an issue?”
“We can’t pull funds from the company account without the boss’s permission......”
But Ju-Heon didn’t care.
“Oh is that so? You need approval?”
Park Kyung Tae seemed to think that Ju-Heon took the bait as he started to smile servilely.
“Yes sir! We will bring it in cash if you give us some more time! We will definitely convince the boss to......!”
The lackeys who realized his plan tried to look as pitiful as possible.
“Yes sir, he's right! We can’t do as we please with the company money. Hehe.”
‘This young bastard should say he’ll give us more time now. Then we will go call for reinforcements. He should not be able to do anything if we take his friend hostage.’ They were laughing internally. However, the thugs heard a cold voice in their ears.
“Did these morons go crazy?”
They turned pale after making eye contact with Ju-Heon.
He was smiling mischievously but his gaze was very scary.
And lo and behold.
The smiling Ju-Heon cracked his neck before lifting his fist.
And then...
Pow!
Ju-Heon started to mercilessly beat the men up. He played around with them by only punching the same spots over and over. He was thinking that these thugs should be pretty tough, so it wouldn’t work unless he punched them with the plan to break their bones.
Pow! Pow!
“Fuck, stop, stoooooop! I'm sorry, so, aaaaaah!”
In the end, forget a man’s pride or whatever, Park Kyung Tae started to cry.
“Damn it, damn it......!”
“It seems like you didn't understand. I never told you to take money from the company account. I will give you five minutes. Go bring me money.”
The men who realized their mistakes froze with pale expressions.
But it seemed to be a bit too late.
[What did you say? He’s going to stop working for us? That Seo Ju-Heon said that?]
Park Kyung Tae clenched his eyes closed after hearing his sister, Park Kyung Joo's anger. Park Kyung Joo who was living as a gold miss was currently the head of a small art broker organization. [1]
They had just come across another highly profitable deal that they were trying to take Ju-Heon and go to work.
So it was no wonder that she was angry because the bastards she sent to do the job were crying and calling her.
[You stupid idiots! You morons let Seo Ju-Heon say that crap?]
“No, you see! We could not touch him! He was a completely different person and was an expert at martial arts to the point that we almost died......”
[Hey! Did you morons go crazy?! How can you call yourself thugs after being scared by a damn baby?!]
“N, no, that’s not the case!”
[Enough!]
Park Kyung Joo did not seem to have the patience to listen to such nonsense any longer.
[Forget him for now and you guys go take care of business. It is an important deal as usual. You have the sample on you, right?]
Park Kyung Tae sighed knowing the worst part had finally arrived. The problem actually started from here.
“No, you see... that.”
[What is it. Did something happen?]
“That, you see...... Ju-Heon, that bastard took it with him.”
[Took what?]
“The art piece that he took......”
[What? You really had that taken away?]
“Yes...yes ma’am. He took everything saying it was his overdue pay and compensation package......”
Park Kyung Tae said that and prepared himself for the worst. And lo and behold.
[Ow, you really! You morons! Don’t you know what that Buddha statue is?!]
The boss’s anger shot through the sky.
[Do you know how much that is worth?!]
“That......he also took all of our wallets!”
He then heard all sorts of swear words in satoori as well as about how she didn't care about their money. [2] Park Kyung Joo could not help but go hysterical over the phone.
[Plus, Seo Ju-Heon, that bastard is close to the cops! What if he notices the real identity of that Buddha statue?! You’re driving me nuts!]
“N, no! It should be fine! Ju-Heon......no, that bastard should not notice anything about that statue! How would he figure out what is inside it......!”
[Ah, whatever! I don't care! Hurry up and get it back, NOW! Don't even think about coming home until you do!]
Click.
She then hung up the phone.
“Aigoo, damn it!”
‘This is all because of Seo Ju-Heon!’
Park Kyung Tae shook his head in frustration.
1. Gold miss Refers to an unmarried woman who is highly-educated, economically and socially independent.
2. Satoori is a term for a regional dialect in Korea. The easiest comparison I can make is an American southern twang.