AN INTRIGUING MAN
1619 Words
Somewhere in the city of Incheon, in the middle of the afternoon, gunshots echoed through the streets like a swarm of angry bees. Residents scrambled for cover. In this neighborhood, that kind of chaos was nothing unusual. The only ones who ruled here were the Kkangpae and Jopok gangs. Neither the police nor the authorities dared interfere. The gangs ran everything.
Police sirens wailed in the distance, signaling that the cops were on their way, but nobody cared. None of the men responsible for the m******e even flinched. They weren’t afraid of the police. If anything, it was the other way around.
The cops and even the city’s politicians were under the thumb of the gangs that ruled with an iron fist, especially the Hwasan Clan.
Over the years, Hwasan had grown into one of the most powerful organizations in the city. Their influence spread across multiple cities throughout the country. Many of their members held high-ranking government positions, and influential officials often bent over backward to stay in the clan’s good graces or secure its protection.
Hwasan had no limits. Their crimes had practically become law. If the clan decided someone was a problem, that person died. It didn’t matter who they were, what family they came from, how famous they were, or how much power they had. Once Hwasan set its sights on someone, death was the only outcome.
No one escaped the clan. Not enemies. Not even members. Once you were involved with Hwasan, you stayed until death. Betrayal meant execution.
And there was one man known for carrying out those executions.
People called him “the Executioner.” He dealt with anyone who stood in the way of the clan’s plans. Some claimed he was an experimental weapon created by the clan leader to destroy his enemies. Others, especially the clan elders, whispered that he was actually the leader’s son, raised from childhood to become a killing machine.
Those rumors only added to his terrifying reputation.
Min-Ho Kim. The Demon of Hwasan.
A man who killed without hesitation and never showed a trace of emotion.
The only thing people knew for certain was that he had grown up inside the clan and endured brutal training that turned him into the monster he was today. Taking down a network of over a hundred men was effortless for him. He completed missions in record time.
Whether it was crushing threats to the clan or going head-to-head with Hwasan’s longtime rivals, Min-Ho never hesitated. Especially when it came to the Cursed Clan, Hwasan’s greatest enemy in Incheon.
The two clans controlled the city’s underworld side by side, and bloody shootouts between them were common.
Just like today.
Earlier that afternoon, Min-Ho had arrived at an alley known as a hangout spot for local thugs. Without a second thought, he opened fire on everyone there.
Panicked civilians screamed and ran for cover while the Hwasan members who accompanied him stared in horror, wondering if the man even had a heart.
Rumors had circulated that the men in the alley were secretly working with the Cursed Clan. But Min-Ho hadn’t bothered to confirm anything. He arrived, drew his weapon, and started shooting at anything that moved, turning the alley into a bloodbath.
What terrified people most wasn’t the killing itself. It was the look in his eyes.
Nothing.
No anger. No excitement. No hesitation.
It looked like he was casually firing into empty air while blood sprayed across the walls.
He was terrifying.
That was why nobody wanted to be around him unless they absolutely had to. Like today. The men with him were only there to help dispose of the bodies. Otherwise, they would never willingly stand beside a monster like him.
Min-Ho finished the job and lit a cigarette just as the city police chief’s car pulled up.
It was unusual for the chief himself to show up, but this situation directly involved Hwasan. And Min-Ho, as the right-hand man of the clan leader, carried enough authority that he couldn’t simply be ignored.
“Damn. You really made a mess of things,” the chief muttered, grimacing at the bodies before glancing at Min-Ho, who completely ignored him.
The chief sighed and walked toward one of the other Hwasan men instead, carefully stepping around the corpses and pools of blood.
“You better clean this up,” he growled, spitting onto the pavement. “I’m sick of dealing with your bodies on top of all the paperwork you idiots dump on me every day.”
With that, he headed back to his car, visibly furious.
He was tired of all of it. The gang wars. The corruption. The endless bloodshed.
If he could stop it, he would. But in Incheon, the police weren’t in charge.
The gangs were.
He sighed again, knowing the Cursed Clan wouldn’t stay quiet after today’s m******e. Another war was coming, and the streets would run red again.
He genuinely pitied the city’s residents, but there was nothing he could do.
Incheon was dangerous, brutal, and soaked in blood. Yet it was also thriving and full of opportunity. People kept pouring into the city chasing success, even if many of them ended up joining gangs and dying young.
The chief started his car and glanced one last time at Min-Ho, his expression darkening.
The kid was the worst of them all.
Young, yet already responsible for countless deaths. Too many people wanted him dead to count, both outside the clan and within it.
A shame, really.
The chief drove off while Min-Ho received a phone call.
“Yes?”
A brief pause.
“Good.”
That was all he said.
He got into his vehicle and headed toward the clan leader’s mansion. Another mission, most likely.
Not that he cared.
Complaining was pointless. This was his job. He did what he was told.
When he arrived at the estate, the clan members he passed avoided him like the plague. Some even lowered their heads and hurried away as if eye contact alone might get them killed.
Min-Ho sighed quietly.
It wasn’t like he needed friends inside the clan.
He knew better than anyone that most people there wanted him dead. Plenty of ambitious members dreamed of climbing the ranks by putting a bullet in his back.
That was why he never let his guard down.
In this world, betrayal was normal. Emotions were weakness. And weakness got people killed.
He entered the main room and stopped before the clan leader, standing straight with his hands behind his back. His face remained expressionless as his cold eyes settled on the older man.
The clan leader smiled proudly.
To him, Min-Ho was his greatest creation. A perfect monster.
“Good morning, my boy,” the leader greeted warmly.
Min-Ho said nothing.
Oddly enough, that seemed to please the man even more.
Beside the leader sat a seductive woman, clearly his latest lover. She clicked her tongue playfully while running her fingers along his shoulder before flashing Min-Ho a flirtatious smile.
Min-Ho ignored her completely.
Embarrassed, she pouted while the clan leader burst into laughter.
“My dear, don’t look so upset,” the old man said. “My little Min-Ho isn’t interested in women unless I specifically tell him to entertain one.”
The comment reminded everyone of another role Min-Ho played for the clan.
With his striking looks and impressive physique, women were naturally drawn to him, and the clan leader had learned how to exploit that. Whenever a mission involved a woman, Min-Ho rarely needed violence. Seduction worked just fine.
Min-Ho kept his eyes on the man he considered his master, silently waiting for his orders.
The leader quickly picked up on it. His smile faded as he grabbed a stack of documents and tossed them onto the floor in front of Min-Ho.
“You know I’m planning to expand our network into South America, right?” he said, taking a cigar from the woman beside him as she lit it for him.
“Well, the godfather running the region I’m targeting has been... difficult.”
Min-Ho bent down, picked up the documents, and skimmed through them.
“You want me to eliminate him?” he asked calmly.
The clan leader burst out laughing while several clan members stared at Min-Ho in disbelief.
How could he say something like that so casually? The target was one of the most powerful cartel bosses in South America.
Only a madman would think assassination was a simple solution.
“Ah, Min-Ho. You really are entertaining,” the leader chuckled before taking a sip of whiskey.
“No need for that. According to my sources, the cartel boss is actually a woman. And apparently, she’s heard quite a lot about you.”
He gave Min-Ho a meaningful look.
Min-Ho tightened his grip on the documents.
“I understand,” he replied evenly.
So that was the mission.
Another woman interested in his body.
Without another word, he turned and left the room while receiving the final details of the assignment on his way to the airport.
The clan leader watched him leave with a satisfied grin.
“I really do love that kid,” he said, sipping his whiskey. “He’s so useful that I can’t even imagine this clan without him. Thankfully, he has no life outside of Hwasan.”
Then his expression turned cold.
“And I’ll make sure it stays that way. Anyone who comes between me and my loyal dog will disappear.”
He crushed the whiskey glass in his hand.
Meanwhile, Min-Ho prepared for his flight, unaware that this trip was about to change his life forever.
Kkangpae: gangsters
Jopok: criminal organization, clan
- Writer
