Clang—


  The door opened, and Jang Sang Su rushed in with the nurse.

  “Here, Madam, can you see this?”


  The nurse raised her finger and shook it before Jang’s eyes. The new nurse earnestly demonstrated the skill that her superior taught her.

  Jang felt dizzier when she looked at the nurse’s finger wagging before her. The screen-printed words “Dong San Hospital” on the nurse’s front pocket looked like “ghost’s curse” instead.

  “Move it, you b****! Get out of here!” Jang screamed.

  “Oh, my gosh!”


  Surprised, the nurse moved away. The nurse rushed out of the hospital room.

  “Sister, do you feel better?”


  “Sang Su, what are you doing here?”


  Jang, who only noticed her brother then, asked in surprise. She hadn’t been in the right state of mind ever since she saw the ghost.

  “I arrived a little while back. Hee Ja just left after staying here the whole night.”


  “And nothing happened?”


  Jang looked at her younger brother with narrowed eyes. She was worried if the ghost had done something.

  “You happened, sister. Everyone was scared out of their wits when you suddenly screamed and fainted. What got you so frightened?”


  “I must have imagined something weird because I was tired. Did you contact your brother-in-law?”


  “Not yet.”


  “There’s no need to contact him. That man knows nothing but his company. He’s not the kind of man to blink even if his wife dies frothing at the mouth.”


  Jang gritted her teeth. Her husband was going to die anyway. Seeing his face would only make her hesitate.

  “What time is it?”


  “It’s almost lunchtime.”


  “Already? Why did this happen to me? Ugh!”


  Jang got out of bed. She didn’t have time to sit around in the hospital.

  Rrrring—


  The hospital room’s phone rang. Jang Sang Su picked up the phone. He had passed along the hospital room’s phone number to his office so that they could contact him in case of emergencies.

  “What? So… manager Jung forced her way in…? So, what were you guys doing, just standing around…? Fine. I’ll be there soon.”


  Jang Sang Su hung up and put on his coat. His face was red.

  “Why?”


  Jang suddenly had a bad feeling. The curse mentioned by the ghost that appeared out of nowhere kept swimming around in her head. Even Jang, who feared nothing in the world, came to fear a ghost.

  “Jung Ah Young rushed into the office with an audit team. They’re going through all the records and accounts.”


  Jang Sang Su was in a hurry. The money he squirreled away in the last five years alone added up to 1,000,000s of dollars. His brother-in-law was the kind of person who didn’t even bleed when pricked with a needle. Looking at his mood these days, he might even report him for embezzlement and more.

  “What! He’s investigating our sales?”


  Jang’s face turned yellow.

  Has the curse already begun?

  Her mind went blank. The ghost’s cries about a curse kept ringing in her head.

  “Did your brother-in-law send them personally? Did the employees just watch her rush in?” Jang asked useless questions.

  Even if she boiled a tiger’s liver to eat, manager Jung wouldn’t be able to do that unless it was the boss’ orders.

  “They said she personally came with the boss’ signature. Everyone froze in their place when she announced that she’d fire anyone who interfered with their work.”


  “Aigo, did this man get possessed by a ghost? He’s bulldozing his way through!”


  Jang pounded on her chest. Her husband was weak and always scared. Unless a ghost possessed him, he wasn’t the kind of person who’d pressure them unnecessarily. Although Jang slept with Park In Bo under the same cover for years, she didn’t really know him at all.

  “Sang Su, hurry over there. You can’t let her have the records. Don’t mind the backlash, you need to chase her out even if it means bashing her head in,” Jang said in a spiteful manner.

  “Ya, take care of yourself, sister.”


  Jang Sang Su rushed out of the hospital room.

  “This old man’s finally gone mad. You want to have a go at it, is that it?”


  Jang gritted her teeth. If the pipeline for the Lodgings was blocked, there wouldn’t be a way to raise more funds. No, if their involvement in years of embezzlement came to light, all of her family members could be locked behind bars. Failing to pinpoint a victim, she felt a rush of anger in her head.

  “Aaaaack, Kim Mal Sooooon!” Jang screamed, grabbing her hair.

  The face of the doctor, who made his way to the room as soon as he heard that his patient was awake, paled quickly. The term “affective disorder” started ringing in his head.

  Mu Ssang, who wandered around everywhere from Gatbawi Rock to Suseong Lake, and Dongseong-ro to Good Heart Oil, returned to the village just in time for sunrise. Hungry, he headed toward a restaurant that had its lights on. It was a DaeDeok[1] restaurant that operated when the day was bright.

  Strange customers walked in after he ordered two bowls of pig’s blood hangover soup and emptied a bowl. They were a young man wearing a worn-out U.S. military uniform accompanied by six scruffy-looking children. The young man dragged his left leg as though he was sweeping.

  I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere, but who is he?

  Mu Ssang tilted his head. Long hair covered the man’s forehead, but his tanned horse face seemed familiar. The young man ordered four bowls of soup and seven bowls of rice. The employee disappeared with his orders, looking displeased.

  “Uncle, can’t you order us a bowl each?” a boy with a cleanly shaved head asked, pouting.

  “What? Are you embarrassed?”


  “No. I just want to eat a lot,” the boy dismissed the young man’s sarcastic tone.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have that much. Share.”


  A girl who looked to be two years older glared at the boy with the shaved head. The boy with the shaved head winced and buried his nose in the bowl. Without saying much, the young man took out some ingredients from his bowl and placed them into the boy’s bowl.

  Mu Ssang, who was scooping a large seonji into his mouth, flinched. He could hear the childrens’ conversation like a stereo.

  “Ajimae!”


  Mu Ssang called the employee over.

  “Bring three more bowls of soup to that table, and put it on my tab. Give them a lot of meat too.”


  “Okay.”


  The facial expression of the 40-year-old woman, who took the orders, didn’t change much. Mu Ssang let her be and buried his nose in his food. He simply changed his mind because they reminded him of his childhood when he used to starve. A shadow appeared on his table.

  “Thank you. They’re at an age where they eat a lot… It’s embarrassing, but we’ll accept it gratefully.”


  Mu Ssang raised his head.

  “It’s nothing much, so don’t mind it. Huh? You’re Hyung Dong!”


  It was his classmate Hyung Dong, who was dragged to the Samchung re-education camp because of his long hair.

  “Uuhh! It’s you, boss?”


  The narrow eyes on his dark horse face widened like an owl’s. Hyung Dong’s face brightened up immediately.

  “How has your face changed so much? I almost didn’t recognize you. Others would think you’re my father.”


  “Keke, it happened somehow. Boss, you look better than before.” Hyung Dong laughed.

  “Who are they?”


  Mu Ssang signaled to the children, who were still digging into their bowls, with his chin. Hyung Dong pulled out a chair and collapsed onto it.

  “Haa, the story will take forever once I start. They’re kids I’m bringing around.”


  “Orphans?”


  “Mm, we’re just coming back from cleaning the mountain. We’re part of the New Community Movement in case someone reports us or something.”


  “New Community Movement, hm? Not bad. The kids get to exercise too.”


  Mu Ssang smiled brightly despite the worries in his heart.

  “Ha, boss, you look like you haven’t had an easy life since you dropped out of school.”


  Hyung Dong looked up and down Mu Ssang’s dirty clothes and clicked his tongue. It was understandable why. His pants and checked shirt were crumpled and torn because he had been traveling up and down the mountain all night. The A.P.C. brand that had a history of 100 years wasn’t living up to its market value.

  “Times are bad. Weren’t you able to fix your leg at all?”


  “My kneecap shattered after I was beaten by those education instructors. What can a limp do? For the past three years, I’ve been helping out a priest who’s raising these kids.”


  “You’re not in a good situation?”


  “We’re getting around somehow, but some gangsters are ruining it. Wait, those b*stards!”


  Hyung Dong’s face creased. Three young men, who wore suit jackets with a white shirt underneath, entered the restaurant. They had on shining shoes and wide flared pants, and they walked with a sway. They were gangsters down to their bones. The three gangsters immediately walked to the counter when they found Hyung Dong.

  “Oi, boss, I said we won’t be having fun if you let that beggar into the restaurant one more time, didn’t I? You think young ones aren’t worth listening to, is that it? Do you want me to open up your ears with a needle?”


  A b*stard with bucket-style hair threatened the 50-year-old owner.

  “Aigo, just let me go this once. He came when I wasn’t around, what was I supposed to do? I won’t take him in again.”


  The owner started begging immediately. They were b*stards who stuck around with the excuse of maintaining public order. Although they didn’t help his business one bit, going against them would cost him his entire business.

  “Those beggar b*stards will spread their diseases to us if they start hanging around DaeDeok restaurant, right? Do you want to go through a hygiene check? Listen to us if you want to maintain the business, hum!”


  A guy with a knife mark on his cheek slapped the counter with his palm. Annoyed, he glanced at Mu Ssang before glaring at Hyung Dong. There was a fire burning in his eyes. He could see the picture.

  “Ok… okay. I won’t take them in again. Hey, hey! I won’t take the soup money, so take your kids and leave!” the owner turned to look at Hyung Dong and shouted.

  “We’re not beggars! Stop screaming at our uncle!” the boy with the shaved head shouted.

  There were tears in his eyes. He seemed very upset.

  “Huh, this tiny little brat doesn’t have manners. How dare you shout at an adult? I’ll fix your attitude on behalf of your father.”


  The teenager with bucket-style hair rushed at the boy and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. He looked like he was about to throw the boy down.

  “Aigo, Suk Soo! That damn b*stard!”


  A heavy hand pressed down on Hyung Dong’s shoulder. Hyung Dong glanced at Mu Ssang and sat back down.

  “Let him go.”


  “Ugh!”


  The teenager with bucket-style hair staggered when the voice started ringing in his eardrums.

  “What the hell?”


  A b*stard with a mole the size of a coin on his cheek combed through the restaurant with his eyes wide open. There were barely 10 tables with customers since it was dawn. The gang members’ gazes shifted to Mu Ssang.

  Flash—


  Something swept past Hyung Dong’s eyes.

  Crack—


  Like an arrow, a chopstick flew, turned, and landed right on the wrist of the young man grabbing the child’s front shirt.

  “Aaagh!”


  A scream was heard. The teenager with bucket-style hair released the boy and grabbed his wrist. Mu Ssang smiled. He planned to dig a hole through the teenager’s wrist but simply broke it out of pity. Hyung Dong looked down at Mu Ssang’s hand. One of his chopsticks was missing.

  The other chopstick flew.

  Crack—


  The three gangsters followed the sound with their eyes. A wooden chopstick was deeply embedded in the melamine-coated table. The three gangsters’ faces darkened. It was a display of power that even the best martial arts master, no, the martial arts master himself would have a hard time achieving. The gangsters, who were about to cause a scene, quietened down immediately.

  Hyung Dong let out a sigh of relief. If he’d stepped up, he would have been beaten up by those gangsters. Even in the old days, nothing troubled them since boss Mu Ssang would always step up to the task.

  Mu Ssang raised the bowl and downed the rest of his soup. The gangsters grew nervous when the tall, built man approached them.

  “You damn puny b*stards, I was going to shatter your wrist but didn’t.”


  “Who the hell is this dude?”


  The gangsters raised their large hand driver, claw hammer, and awl, increasing the distance between them. It was a desperate struggle for those living and fighting for their area in the backstreets. The battle for survival in the backstreets was much more desperate and miserable than the battles in the real world.

  “Huh, what are those?”


  Mu Ssang laughed at their pathetic weapons. He turned back to look at Hyung Dong, expecting an explanation.

  “You get thrown straight into a lockup if you walk around with a sashimi knife because of security reasons. The police can’t say much if they argue that those are work tools. It’s all predetermined.”


  Mu Ssang’s body stretched forward before Hyung Dong could even complete his sentence.

  Slap—


  Slap—


  Slap—


  Painful sounds rang three times.

  “Ugh, ugh, ugh!”


  The three gangsters, who each received a slap, let out a brief scream and collapsed. A slap from Mu Ssang wasn’t just any slap. It shook their brains, temporarily paralyzing their nervous system.

  The customers in the hall slowly crawled out of the restaurant. Even the restaurant owner and employees moved back into the kitchen without taking their money. Mu Ssang’s expression turned bitter. Their actions meant that they were used to the gangsters causing a ruckus.

  “Why do all gangsters, regardless of nationality, require a good beating before they can come back to their senses? Children, are you all done?”


  Mu Ssang turned to look at the children.

  “Yes!” the six replied in chorus. There was no need to ask. Their bowls were clean as though a dog had licked them clean.

  “You guys get scolded by an adult when you make a mistake, right? Well, these guys here are kids, although they’re bigger in size. Guys can only grow up when they get beaten, you understand?”


  Two girls giggled at Mu Ssang’s words. 12 eyes sparkled as they looked at Mu Ssang.

  “Kyah, boss, you’re the same as always. I remember the time you destroyed the gang at the market. However, those b*stards are lackeys from the Driver faction. What are you going to do?”


  Hyung Dong looked down at the gangsters with a worried expression.

  “There’s nothing to worry about. Where is their house?”


  “It’s two blocks in the direction of Il Gwang temple.”


  “Mm, let’s head over.”


  Mu Ssang grabbed one unconscious gangster by the back of his head and flicked it.

  Crack—


  The sound of a wood splitting rang.

  “Ughh!”


  At the flick, the gangster’s eyes opened.

  Crack—


  Crack—


  The other two also regained their consciousness at the sound of wood splitting. The gangsters, who were out of their wits, stared at Mu Ssang.

  “I’ll kill all of you if you play around!”


  [1] The term “DaeDeok” means “good heart” in Korean. Perhaps, because of its name, the restaurant is always packed with customers since early morning. Hikers, who climb the mountain at dawn, and visitors, who drink until morning, come here to relieve their insides. Mu Ssang came at dawn, but several tables were already occupied by customers. Perhaps, the DaeDeok is for its owner and not the customers.