The Hunting Dog of the Prestigious Family Has Returned Chapter 24

“You’ve relaxed your face since we last met. Is this the first time we’re meeting in person in almost ten years?”

“Dokgo Seong.”

The casino building in the midst of construction.

The temporarily built office was packed full of Dokgo Seong and the executives of his subordinate Sword Pact.

“I wondered why the great Park Bokja had emptied all those precious establishments. Turns out you were planning a spectacular retirement?”

“Dokgo Seong, you bastard, don’t touch the proprietress…!”

“Shut your trap, Dolsoe. Can’t you see the adults are talking?”

Dolsoe sprawled on the floor with both arms broken.

At the sight of them stomping on his head, Park Bokja forcibly swallowed her anger.

“What business do you have here?”

“I just showed my face out of envy. Why? You’re trying to clear your criminal status and set up a new life, so is it awkward having an old friend like me visit?”

Though it was the tone used with old friends, the atmosphere flowing beneath was utterly sinister.

“The office is nice and proper.”

The executives lined up behind had an atmosphere as if they’d draw weapons at any moment.

“What’s this now?”

Dokgo Seong, who’d been looking around the office under construction, picked up a photo placed on one side of the office chair.

Dozens of children in shabby appearances.

It was a photo of Park Bokja tangled with those children, laughing.

“Ah, this was your hobby, right? Playing house while throwing money at street brats.”

“…!”

“A bitch who killed dozens of our guys over a piece of land, a bit of money… looking at the photo alone, you’d think she’s some philanthropist. Right? Huh?”

“Shut your mouth and just answer the question. Why did you come here…!”

Crack—!

The next moment.

Dokgo Seong threw the photo Park Bokja had placed down to the floor and smashed it.

“Hey. Ms. Park.”

Dokgo Seong who’d called Park Bokja in a deeply lowered voice brought his face close.

“You donated a few pennies to the orphanage brats, and those brats call you nice auntie or whatever… did you think that made you a genuinely good person?”

“…!”

You and I both lived our lives buried at the bottom, eating up everything shit and piss without discrimination.

Having added that, Dokgo Seong brought his face close to Park Bokja’s.

A haggardly dead face.

She who faced him must have had a face not much different either.

“We lived killing to our hearts’ content, stealing to our hearts’ content.”

“…”

“But now you’ll make it as if that never happened? Live as if nothing happened, try to become a good person? You think that’s possible? Huh?”

Words that stabbed a corner of her heart like a dagger.

Park Bokja who’d bitten her lips tightly asked back.

“What do you want?”

“Let’s do as we’ve always done. You and me both.”

Having said that, Dokgo Seong sat on an empty sofa in the office.

“Talk nicely to the moneybags backing you, and let’s partner up by inserting our guys.”

“Partner up?”

“If we conduct our side’s business in one corner of this casino, wouldn’t it be quite profitable for both sides?”

Park Bokja’s face turned pale after hearing those words.

The business Dokgo Seong was talking about.

She knew best what that was.

“You crazy bastards. You’re saying to do human trafficking in the basement?”

Human trafficking.

It was both the main revenue source of Dokgo Seong’s Sword Pact and the reason Park Bokja’s Pyeongwoon Tavern had been pushed to the outskirts.

‘Don’t handle drugs and people.’

Thanks to maintaining that creed, Pyeongwoon Tavern that had once dominated Hanseong’s underground was being treated like an old back-room crone, pushed aside by Dokgo Seong’s Sword Pact.

“You think I’ll allow such dog behavior?! Rather…!”

“Rather what. Shall we dance with swords right here?”

Along with Dokgo Seong’s single phrase, the executives prepared weapons.

Park Bokja who’d looked around gritted her teeth.

Dokgo Seong’s Sword Pact was an armed group dominating this entire district.

The thugs she commanded couldn’t handle them.

“If not that… then yeah.”

As if knowing that fact well, Dokgo Seong with a fishy smile added a phrase.

“That orphanage you sponsor, Ms. Park. Should we send a few kids there and have them shoot guns? Huh?”

“This son of a bitch…!”

Having spat out curses toward him was momentary.

Park Bokja who couldn’t finish her words bowed her head while gritting her teeth.

‘The calculator must be spinning by now.’

Where would that nature go?

Having muttered inwardly, Dokgo Seong spoke.

“From your position, this isn’t a bad story. I’m also in a position of horning in on a proper business, so I don’t have such big greed…”

But the next moment.

“…Huh.”

Park Bokja aimed a pistol she’d drawn instantly at Dokgo Seong’s head.

“This crazy bitch really.”

BANG—!

A streak of gunfire filled the conference room.

One of Dokgo Seong’s cheeks was torn off, but what appeared through the gap wasn’t human flesh.

Artificial skin and the mechanical devices filling inside it.

It was an artificial body.

“Boss!”

“This crazy…!”

“Grab that bitch! We need to tear off her limbs right now…!”

“Get out—!”

While being grabbed by the executives, a shout burst from Park Bokja’s mouth.

The sight of her screaming like a madwoman while gritting her teeth.

It seemed both like struggling and like lamenting.

“Right! As you said, I’m a bitch who should die! A life that lived buried at the bottom my whole life, doing only shitty things with shitty bastards!”

“…”

“But what can I do! Right now I have…! I have an opportunity!”

Kim Changwoon promised numerous support in exchange for operating the casino.

Among them, what caught her attention was the casino’s fund operation plan.

He was planning to allocate more than half of the casino’s profits to create an educational foundation and properly raise children living at the city’s bottom.

If things went well, tens of thousands.

Perhaps a massive welfare project that could support hundreds of thousands.

It meant a member of the nobles would directly support the work she’d dreamed of while rolling around in the underworld.

“Make money doing legitimate work, and with that money buy the kids nice things, buy them tasty food! Build schools too! I can do that!”

A good person.

A kind grandmother.

Auntie, aunt, elder aunt.

She wanted to finish her remaining years being called like that.

That was far more precious to her than sounds like queen of the back alleys or great elder.

Even someone like her.

Even this bitch worn down to the bone in the underworld.

“At the final moment, before dying, I can become a bit noble too—!”

“…After listening and listening, this crazy bitch!”

Thwack—!

Along with the sound of kicking, Park Bokja’s body flew away.

Dokgo Seong touching his torn-off face and Park Bokja sprawled on the floor making shrill sounds.

“They say when a person’s time to die comes, they spout nonsense—you’re exactly that.”

Dokgo Seong picked up Park Bokja’s pistol that had fallen to the floor and aimed it at her head.

“Have you said everything you wanted?”

The moment Dokgo Seong who’d said that tried to kill Park Bokja.

“I don’t know why there are so many street peddlers at a shop that hasn’t even finished construction.”

Along with a light phrase, someone walked out from one corner of the office.

A boy wearing splendid clothes.

He must be Park Bokja’s backing who’d put money into establishing this casino.

“Young Master?! I told you not to come out! I said it’s dangerous here…!”

“Don’t worry. I’m probably the safest person here.”

Having said that, Changwoon showed the identity tag in his breast.

“There won’t be anyone bold enough to touch a noble just to eat one building. Right?”

“…!”

Changwoon standing before Park Bokja while holding a noble’s proof.

“Lower the gun! Right now—!”

At Dokgo Seong’s roar, the executives who’d been drawing weapons immediately lowered them.

The opponent was a member of the nobles.

Just making a motion to aim a gun could bring the royal guard rushing in.

But that was momentary.

“Greetings.”

Dokgo Seong who’d fixed his expression greeted Changwoon with a polite tone.

“Park Bokja… I’m Dokgo Seong, who’s been rolling around with that woman for decades.”

“I’m not really curious about your name. Why did you suddenly enter someone else’s business establishment like this?”

“Yes. Before that, just a moment…”

It would be a bit troublesome to have this appearance when facing an exalted person.

Dokgo Seong who’d gestured to a subordinate replaced his blown-off half face.

“I’ll speak straightforwardly. I came to propose entrusting the business not to Pyeongwoon Tavern but to our organization.”

“Business? What do you think I’m doing here?”

“I know well. You’re trying to make a place where VIPs from the highest layer can play. Our organization will help the Young Master.”

Dokgo Seong continued speaking.

“The scale of manpower we can mobilize, the know-how needed to operate the business, and ‘products’ that can satisfy the VIPs… we can provide everything.”

‘Products.’

The moment he heard those words, Changwoon’s face that had been maintaining humor stiffened slightly.

“How about it? You could make much more than working together with that old hag…”

“Right. If I work with you, I’d make lots of money.”

Changwoon said that, but shortly after.

“But I don’t want to.”

Changwoon’s answer was a firm refusal.

At an answer different from his expectation, Dokgo Seong narrowed his eyes.

“May I… ask the reason?”

“Because I don’t like it. Do I need to give you another reason besides that?”

Those aristocrat things were always this way.

An answer where logic couldn’t be found.

Seeing that, Dokgo Seong rapidly spun his head.

‘Tsk, at this rate it’s all or nothing.’

Should he try poking even though it’s a bit dangerous?

Having finished thinking, Dokgo Seong spoke in an extremely polite voice.

“Young Master Kim Changwoon.”

Dokgo Seong putting Changwoon’s name in his mouth.

Hearing that, Changwoon frowned.

“You know my name? I never told you.”

“I have rather wide connections, you see. I also picked up other things. For example…”

There was a rumor he’d heard from a ‘customer’ he’d long exchanged with.

Dokgo Seong’s smile deepened.

“You were born into a noble family, but unfortunately have no phase power.”

“…”

“Isn’t it also for that reason that an esteemed person like the Young Master associates with lowly things like those?”

When he spoke while looking at Park Bokja struggling to raise her body, Changwoon looked at Dokgo Seong without answering.

There was no sign of displeasure.

It must mean his interest was piqued.

Dokgo Seong continued speaking.

“I can’t tell you detailed information for security reasons, but an exalted person is quite interested in this work. If you wish, I could personally introduce you to that person.”

“You’ll introduce me to a member of the nobles? You?”

“As I said, I have rather wide feet.”

When he asked like that, Changwoon looked at him with an unreadable expression.

If you won’t accept me, I’ll also pull in my superior.

As if noticing that meaning, Changwoon was silent for a while.

‘You can’t carelessly dismiss me. Especially if you’re from illegitimate origins.’

How much time passed while Dokgo Seong inwardly smiled victoriously?

“…Pfft.”

What first broke the silence was laughter bursting from Changwoon’s mouth.

“Puhahaha! The person you serve! He says the person he serves! Kuhahaha! Hey Dokgo Seong, you moronic bastard, how is it that you haven’t changed at all from then to now?!”

“…What?”

“Wooow, I really, I tried to endure somehow! Kuk, kuhahaha—!”

Changwoon suddenly bursting into laughter as if crazed.

The moment Park Bokja wondered if this person had gone mad.

“A maggot bastard who rolled around in the bottom gutter acts like he’s something—who’s serving whom?”

“…!”

At the insult that flowed out like breathing, Dokgo Seong narrowed his brow and forcibly smiled.

“My, my status being humble is true… but I still have ability.”

“Ability? What ability? Is wiping that pervert bastard Jo Seonghwan’s ass also an ability?”

“…What?”

That bastard right now.

What did he just say?

Jo Seonghwan?

“H-how do you know that name…?”

“Why else.”

It’s exactly the same as what I saw in my past life.

The moment a meaningless phrase flowed from Kim Changwoon’s mouth.

BOOm—!

The office ceiling burst through, and a guard drove down from above.

Seo Taewoong, his entire body plastered with first-grade artificial body.

In both his hands were two executives who’d threatened Park Bokja, crumpled as lumps of scrap metal.

“I’m late, Young Master. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. You said you were in the basement—why are you suddenly popping out from the ceiling?”

“The elevator was a bit slow. I jumped while climbing the steel frames under construction.”

“You’ve completely lost your mind.”

Words that made one’s mind go dizzy just hearing them.

And simultaneously.

-B-boss!

Communication came in from subordinates waiting on the first floor.

“What is it?”

“S-some kid is blocking the exit and catching and killing all our guys!”

“One kid? Then just block him!”

-We’re trying! We, we are trying, but…! W-wait!? Aaaagh—!

Thud—

Along with impact echoing from the floor, communication cut off.

And not long after.

-It’s a phase power wielder!

Communication like a death cry flowed in from a subordinate waiting on the second floor.

-A phase power wielder is slaughtering all our guys…!

Click.

Communication cut off once more.

Dokgo Seong whose face had turned pale finally turned to look toward where Changwoon stood.

The bow Taewoong the guard had handed him.

Changwoon who was stringing that bow opened his mouth with a light smile.

“I’m trying to do good work for once—it’d be troublesome if fly bastards like this keep swarming going forward.”

So as warning and example.

And also to grab the weakness of that moronic bastard behind you, Jo Seonghwan.

“I’ll personally eliminate you and your organization with my own hands.”