Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

As if they were in sync, the three of them finished their meals almost at the same time.

At that moment, Ui Judaek entered with scorched rice tea and placed it next to Hwang Dongsu. Her appearance made Yeon Jung-moon flinch. Cheon Deok-soo also averted his gaze.

"Burp! Sister-in-law, your cooking is as great as always. It\'s amazing that a radish stew without a single piece of meat can taste this good."

When Hwang Dongsu spoke, he turned around as Ui Judaek smiled faintly.

"As per the Gaeseong style, I would add beef, chicken, and pork. But I just boiled it like soup because there was no meat. I\'m glad you found it tasty anyway. How did you two find it?"

"It was delicious."

"Ahem. Well, it was alright."

"I\'m glad it suited your tastes. Have a good conversation."

As Ui Judaek opened the main room\'s door to leave, Kim Gilyoung was visible through the opening. He was glaring at Cheon Deok-soo.

"A child doesn\'t belong in the discussion of adults\' matters."

Ui Judaek scolded her son. Hearing her voice, Cheon Deok-soo turned around and met Kim Gilyoung\'s eyes. Kim Gilyoung didn\'t look away from Cheon Deok-soo and replied, "I came to see my enemy\'s face."

"Kim Gilyoung!"

"I don\'t wanna hear it. I\'ve seen him now. If I just become a Hunter now..."

Kim Gilyoung turned and ran. Ui Judaek watched her son run off for a moment, then glanced back toward the main room before closing the door.

Cheon Deok-soo turned his gaze with a troubled look on his face.

"Let\'s talk now that we\'ve finished eating. What does all this mean? You suddenly want to form a faction?"

When Yeon Jung-moon pressed him, Hwang Dongsu answered, "Just as I said. I want to gather the people who follow me and create something like your two factions."

"Hwang Dongsu! Man! The reason we haven\'t messed with you until now is because you were alone without any power. But if you act like this, we can\'t let you slide any longer either!"

Cheon Deok-soo yelled. But Hwang Dongsu, unfazed, replied calmly, "Brother. We may have grown distant now, but weren\'t we once like brothers? Just for today, let me call you like I used to."

At the sudden softness in Hwang Dongsu\'s voice, the look on both their faces turned strange. They simultaneously felt a sense of discomfort at this side of Hwang Dongsu, who was usually as fierce as a beast.

"Fine, since we\'re already talking, I\'ll call you brother too. Let\'s be honest. What are you really plotting?"

"First, let\'s correct a few misunderstandings."

"Like?"

"First of all, I am not the "yuongsoo(leader)" of our faction."

"What?"

Cheon Deok-soo\'s face twisted.

If Hwang Dongsu wasn\'t the leader, then who was?

Yeon Jung-moon also had questions, but he was calm when questioning him back.

"If it\'s not you, then who is it... Don\'t tell me it\'s sister-in-law(Ui Judaek)?"

"It\'s not her either."

"Then who..."

At that moment--

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

A strange noise that interrupted the conversation emerged from outside. It was a dull sound of something hitting the floor, occasionally mixed with the faint sound of dragging footsteps.

Soon, the old hinge creaked and groaned as the door opened. At the same time, Hwang Dongsu stood up.

Yeon Jung-moon and Cheon Deok-soo couldn\'t turn their heads towards the door. They were too bewildered, almost as if they were dreaming, to believe what was happening before their eyes.

Hwang Dongsu was bowing.

"You\'ve arrived."

"What on earth are you..."

"This is the person I serve."

Yeon Jung-moon and Cheon Deok-soo turned around with wide eyes.

"Nice to meet you. I\'m Kang Mu-hyuk."

The man leaning on a cane looked extremely frail. His complexion was pale, and his lips were colorless. He looked like he could collapse and die with a slight push.

"He\'s not a huntsman. How could a guy like this... Ah?"

Cheon Deok-soo mumbled to himself and then remembered the name Kang Mu-hyuk, closing his mouth. He realized who he was.

The person the Chinese had demanded to be brought, dead or alive, by noon today. But he wasn\'t a huntsman.

\'I thought he must be quite skilled since he was with Hyun Junggeon. But he\'s not even a huntsman? Wait a minute! If he\'s not a huntsman, how could he have gotten Dongsu to...\'

As if reading Cheon Deok-soo\'s thoughts, Kang Mu-hyuk responded.

"You\'re right. I\'m not a Hunter."

"From the way you speak, you\'re from the South. Even if you\'re not a Hunter, you must have something going for you if Dongsu is willing to follow you. What organization are you with?"

"I\'m from the Iron Will Guild."

When Kang Mu-hyuk answered, Yeon Jung-moon asked again, slightly surprised.

"Iron Will? You mean where Ju Se-ah is...?"

"That\'s correct. I serve as the Guild Leader there."

Immediately, Yeon Jung-moon\'s gaze turned wary.

Just being from the guild led by Ju Se-ah was enough to be cautious of him. Considering the rumors about Ju Se-ah circulating in the North, it was like dealing with a ticking time bomb.

"So, what brings you to this cold northern region?"

"The Chinese."

Before Kang Mu-hyuk could answer, Cheon Deok-soo interrupted.

"What about them?"

"They ordered to kill Hyun Junggeon and the guy with him. He\'s that guy. Apparently, Hyun Junggeon called him to Sinuiju. But to think he\'s in league with Ju Se-ah\'s Hunters... Those Chinese bastards must be out of their minds."

"Hyun Junggeon called him?"

Yeon Jung-moon scrutinized Kang Mu-hyuk.

\'Hyun Junggeon is an inscrutable man. He may seem calm on the surface, but he\'s not someone who lives in peace. If someone like him had called this man, he must be important. No, considering he\'s already swayed Dongsu, he\'s a dangerous man. Hm, he looks like a sick person, though...\'

But letting his guard down was not an option. Yeon Jung-moon\'s gaze sharpened even more.

Kang Mu-hyuk waited until his opponent had enough time to organize their thoughts before speaking.

"I\'m the one who called you two here, not Hunter Hwang Dongsu."

"Why did you call us?"

"How long do you think you can live in this village, in Sinuiju?"

"What? Are you threatening us now?"

"Brother Deok-soo, let\'s listen to what we has to say for a bit more."

"Dongsu, you... Ha, seriously. I have a short temper. If you\'re going to beat around the bush, I\'m leaving."

The moment Cheon Deok-soo stood up, Kang Mu-hyuk spoke the words he had been holding back.

"I plan on uniting all the Hunters in this village. The goal is to expel the Chinese Hunters. To drive them out of Sinuiju."

A silence descended in the room. Yeon Jung-moon\'s lips moved slightly as he processed Kang Mu-hyuk\'s words. But he couldn\'t say anything.

\'What\'s this guy\'s deal? Is he just crazy?\'

Cheon Deok-soo couldn\'t step forward either. He didn\'t understand the meaning at first. But as he slowly understood, his face twisted, and finally, his anger boiled over as he shouted.

"Now I see why the Chinese want him dead! Are you out of your mind? Do you know what you\'re saying? You\'re standing in front of me, Cheon Deok-soo, and declaring war to take over this village? There\'s no need to listen to this lunatic anymore! Just kill him and hand him over to the Chinese!"

"Brother, don\'t act rashly."

Hwang Dongsu pointed a chopstick at Cheon Deok-soo. Cheon Deok-soo let out a hollow laugh.

"Are you threatening to stab me now? Even using \'Qi\'?"

"You\'ve gathered your qi as well, haven\'t you?"

"If you\'re defending this madman even after hearing his crazy talk, you must be insane too. We\'ll just beat up all the lunatics today and go back to the way things were."

Thunk!

The moment Cheon Deok-soo raged, Kang Mu-hyuk\'s cane moved forward. He also took a step closer.

"Are you angry?"

"What the hell is he on about?"

"You\'re getting angry."

"Isn\'t that obvious? Why would you turn this village into a battlefield?"

"There\'s one thing I\'m curious about. It keeps bothering me. If you could clear this up, I think I can decide which direction to go in."

Cheon Deok-soo stared at Kang Mu-hyuk in disbelief. Kang Mu-hyuk continued, undeterred.

"Weren\'t you, Hunter Cheon Deok-soo, a henchman for the Chinese guild? Someone might listen to you and think you\'re someone protecting this village."

"..."

"Quite unbefitting of a man who handed over the most respected Hunter in the village to the Chinese guild."

"You bastard! How dare you!"

"Stop it!!"

As Cheon Deok-soo lunged forward, Yeon Jung-moon extended a hand to block him.

"Guild Leader Kang, you\'re provoking Deok-soo too much. You\'re risking your life way too much here."

"All I have is my life, so I have to at least risk that to have a conversation with Hunters like you. And you called facts provocations. Normally, there\'s a suitable phrase for this. \'Hitting the nail on the head.\' Did I hit the nail on the head just now? Which part exactly?"

"Don\'t insult the dead. Don\'t create trouble here. Bury the past. That\'s the unspoken rule of this village. We\'ve lived that way. It\'s not something an outsider should meddle in."

Yeon Jung-moon\'s accent, which had been close to standard language until a moment ago, broke down with northern dialect occasionally mixed in. But his expression looked more uncomfortable than when he was using standard language. Cheon Deok-soo, similarly, seemed less angry and more like he wanted to flee the situation.

Thud.

Kang Mu-hyuk sat down. No, rather than sitting down, it was more accurate to say his legs gave out beneath him.

"It\'s hard to stand. Well, since I\'m sitting, let\'s talk about a few more strange things. In a certain village, there are two factions with opposing goals. Despite this, they\'ve never had a major conflict, never shed blood, and would resolve clashes with words rather than fists. And these are Hunters."

No one spoke. Even Hwang Dongsu, who wasn\'t directly involved, held his breath.

Kang Mu-hyuk continued, "I have a pretty good grasp of Hunter history, but this is unheard of. It\'s like something out of a fairy tale. Peace without war. So, I thought, are these two really at odds? And one more thing."

Although Kang Mu-hyuk merely raised one finger, Yeon Jung-moon and Cheon Deok-soo flinched.

"Why does Ui Judaek, no, Mrs. Jung Yebun, only verbally express hatred towards Cheon Deok-soo, who handed her husband over to the Chinese guild?"

"What do you mean..."

Hwang Dongsu couldn\'t contain his curiosity any longer and tried to step forward, but Kang Mu-hyuk stopped him with a gesture, forcing him to step back.

"I have a strange constitution, you see. I\'m quicker to notice things than others. I can tell what someone is feeling just by looking at their face, which can be troublesome. When Mrs. Jung deals with Hunter Cheon Deok-soo\'s subordinates, she curses them verbally, but there\'s a sense of compassion in her eyes... Well, maybe compassion isn\'t the right word. Affection. Yes, that\'s it. Affection. It\'s the same when she deals with them. On the other hand, young Gilyoung\'s eyes are filled with venom. Of course, this is just my personal view. If you say it\'s not the case, there\'s nothing I can do."

The room felt as if only Kang Mu-hyuk was present. His voice echoed, reverberating among the people.

"When I let my imagination run with that idea, more questions emerged. The common link between everyone here: Kim Byungju. Yes, Mrs. Jung\'s late husband. How did an A-rank Hunter die so easily?"

Kang Mu-hyuk looked up and alternately gazed at Yeon Jung-moon, Cheon Deok-soo, and Hwang Dongsu.

"None of you know the details, not even Hunter Hwang Dongsu, who was like a sworn brother. But the two of you must know something, right? Since you were with him till the end?"

"Please stop pressuring them, Guild Leader Kang."

As the door opened, Ui Judaek entered.

"My husband was mistaken. We should have fought back then. We shouldn\'t have avoided it."

\'As expected, Guild Leader Kang was right. These guys are preparing for a fight. Five guilds in total. At this rate, the village will become a battlefield. It\'s better to prepare for escape than for a fight.\'

Having completed his scouting near the enemy guild\'s headquarters, Mr. Cho was about to slip away. But then a voice caught his attention.

"When is the support unit from Dandong supposed to arrive?"

"They said they\'ll move once the cleanup starts. With them on our side, not a single North Korean rat will escape."

"Hahaha! Finally, we\'ll get rid of that rotten tooth."

Dandong? Support unit?

Mr. Cho was shocked.

\'These bastards... They\'re not just fighting; they\'re planning to kill everyone!\'