Chapter 194 - Because He Chose the Handsome Face

“Huiya. You mustn't move yet.”

Mrs. Sim took her daughter Huiya's hand.

As Huiya put on her clothes, wounds covered her face and body. The girl had suffered the greatest tragedy of her life. Three days earlier, on her way to work, she had been brutally assaulted. A man had beaten and raped her.

“You heard it too, Mom. They say he's been released and he's going to kill us all!”

The man who had done the unthinkable to her was Gong Pae, a member of the Beast Gang, which controlled this area. He had even committed his vile act in the morning, not under cover of night.

Despite her battered body, Huiya had gone herself to report him to the local branch of the Orthodox Martial Alliance. But not even three days after his arrest, she heard that he had been released. Even after being dragged to the branch, he had reportedly shouted openly that he had been wronged and that once he got out, he would make Huiya and her family pay. And the branch had released a man like that.

“We have to go now, Mom.”

Huiya staggered to her feet, then sank back down, dizzy. There wasn't a part of her body that didn't hurt.

“Where do you think you can go in that condition?”

“We have to. He says he's going to kill us!”

Tears filled Huiya's eyes. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined they would let him go so easily. What were they supposed to do? What on earth were they supposed to do!

Mrs. Sim hugged her daughter tightly.

“It's all because of me. It's my fault.”

After losing her husband, she had raised her daughter and son alone. She had worked tirelessly, but a fall a year ago had left her leg badly injured.

When she could no longer work, her little boy, barely ten, had begun working as a waiter. Her fifteen-year-old daughter, who had already been helping her mother by working at a fabric shop, had taken on another job washing dishes at an inn at night.

They were such good children, trying to earn their living expenses and pay for their mother's medicine. And now this tragedy had befallen her daughter.

Tears streamed from Mrs. Sim's eyes. She clenched her teeth, trying not to cry in front of her daughter, but the tears came anyway.

Huiya gritted her teeth and stood again.

“Mom, pack our things. I'll bring your cart.”

Mrs. Sim pulled on her hand.

“Just go without me. Take your brother and get somewhere safe first.”

“Mom, we don't have time for this. You know I won't leave you behind.”

“Where can you go with me in tow? Just get yourself out of harm's way for a while. Please?”

All sorts of thoughts raced through Huiya's mind.

Where could she go with her ailing mother and little brother? Or should she treat it as being bitten by a mad dog, and if he came looking for her, beg him for forgiveness? She had no idea which choice was right.

'Someone, please tell me what to do! Please help me!'

At fifteen, heaven was all she had to turn to.

Just then, the younger child, Seok, opened the door and came into the room.

“Mom! Huiya!”

For some reason, Seok was flushed with excitement.

Seeing her brother brought Huiya sharply to her senses. Leaving was the right choice if she wanted to save him.

“Pack your things, Seok.”

“Why?”

“We're leaving. Take only what you really need.”

“Huiya! Wait! Hear me out first. I asked a martial artist for help. He said he'd help us.”

Both Mrs. Sim and Huiya were startled.

“Who? Someone you know?”

“No. I met him for the first time today.”

Huiya let out a dismayed sigh at that.

“Seok, listen carefully to me. You can't ask just anyone for something like that. What if the Beast Gang kills him?”

“They won't. He looked really scary and strong.”

Huiya sighed again.

“Then where is he? Why did you come alone?”

“He told me to go ahead.”

“He's not coming. He only said that because he couldn't be bothered with a little boy asking him for help. Hurry and pack.”

She staggered to her feet. Even walking was difficult, but she intended to get her mother onto the cart and leave somehow.

When she opened the door and stepped outside, she froze in shock.

Gong Pae had entered the yard, looking furious.

Huiya sank to the ground in terror.

Gong Pae spoke coldly.

“You dared report me? I spent three whole days locked in prison because of you, bitch.”

For the past three days, whenever she thought of Gong Pae, all she wanted was to kill him. In her imagination, she had stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife, beaten him to death with a hammer, and torn out his throat with her teeth. She had killed him dozens, hundreds of times.

But now that she was actually facing him again, she was too terrified to think. Her whole body trembled, and her mind went blank.

Mrs. Sim came out of the room, dragging herself along the ground on her backside.

“Listen, I was the one who reported you. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

Gong Pae sneered.

“Why didn't you look after that mother of yours crawling around like a bug, instead of fucking reporting me?”

At the insult to her mother, Huiya screamed as though in a fit.

“Shut up! I said shut up! Who do you think you are! Why did you! Why did you! Aaaaaah!”

She shouted all the louder because she was afraid.

“Has this bitch gone crazy? A fucking beating will bring you to your senses.”

As Gong Pae moved to strike her, Seok ran out of the room.

“Stop! Don't touch my sister!”

He planted himself in front of Huiya.

Huiya pulled him behind her. He resisted, refusing to move aside, and they both toppled backward.

“What a fucking farce. What's the point of living like this? I'll kill all of you today. Bury you in the same hole.”

As though he truly meant to kill them all, he drew a dagger. At the sight of its cold blue edge, both Huiya and Seok went rigid.

“Spare us! Please, spare my family!”

Just as Huiya pleaded, a quiet voice came from behind them.

“Shouldn't he be the one begging for his life?”

Startled, Gong Pae turned to see Geom Mugeuk and the Fist Demon entering.

He knew at a glance that these were no ordinary martial artists. In particular, the moment he saw the Fist Demon looking at him as though he were a bug, every fine hair on his body stood on end.

Seok cried out joyfully.

“Sir! You came! That's the warrior I told you about! He's here!”

Mrs. Sim and Huiya realized that these two were the martial artists Seok had mentioned earlier.

Gong Pae, too, understood that the little brat had brought them here.

“Gentlemen, there seems to be some misunderstanding. I have feelings for that young woman.”

At Gong Pae's bullshit, Geom Mugeuk made a shushing gesture.

“You've used up your chances to speak in this life. You have one last thing left to say. And even that isn't yours to decide.”

Geom Mugeuk asked Sohui,

“Miss, would you like an apology before he dies?”

Before he died?

Huiya looked at Geom Mugeuk in astonishment. He nodded once.

She shook her head. She didn't even want to exchange words with that man.

“You don't get to spout one last piece of bullshit, either.”

The moment Gong Pae opened his mouth to say something, Geom Mugeuk's finger force struck his mute and paralysis points. He truly wasn't given the chance to utter a single word.

The Fist Demon walked slowly toward Huiya.

Guessing what he intended to do, Geom Mugeuk covered Seok's eyes.

The Fist Demon stopped in front of Huiya. Looking up at him, she swallowed hard. She had never seen anyone who looked so frightening.

“Hold out your fist.”

Startled, Huiya held out her fist with a trembling hand. The Fist Demon's huge hand closed around her small one. Then, keeping it enclosed in his, he extended their hands together.

Very slowly, they thrust a single fist toward Gong Pae.

The instant a look of 'What is this?' crossed Gong Pae's face—

WHOOOOOSH!

With an ear-splitting roar of wind!

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! CRACK-CRACK! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

Every bone in Gong Pae's body shattered and burst apart. From his toes to his arms and legs, his ribs and spine, his shoulder blades and neck, not a single bone escaped being broken and crushed.

'Aaaaaaaaaaagh!'

It was an agony unlike anything he had ever experienced. Unable to scream with his mute point sealed, he suffered all the more.

Only after he had endured every bit of that pain did his face finally cave in with a crack, and he toppled to the ground.

All of this had been contained in that single move the Fist Demon had made with Huiya's hand wrapped in his.

But that wasn't the end. As though he would not permit even the corpse to remain in this home, the Fist Demon flicked his hand, sending the body up into the air.

His other fist shot skyward.

RUMBLE! BOOM!

Thunder rang out, as though heaven itself had delivered judgment.

ROOOOAR!

An immense blast of fist energy swept over the corpse. As impossibly as it seemed, Gong Pae's body vanished in midair without a trace.

“Ah!”

None of what Huiya had witnessed felt real. It was like watching a vision.

Then the Fist Demon's hand tightened around her fist once more.

In that moment, Huiya felt what the fist enclosing hers was saying.

Find the strength to keep living.

Huiya looked up at the Fist Demon. He gazed down at her impassively.

His face no longer frightened her. Rather than an evil spirit, he looked like a statue of one of the Four Heavenly Kings standing at a temple's entrance. Like a guardian deity protecting her from evil spirits.

Seok hadn't seen Gong Pae turn to dust and disappear. But he could feel it. Gong Pae was dead.

Geom Mugeuk felt Seok's tears running against his palm.

He uncovered the boy's eyes, then turned him to face him.

“Keep living with the courage you showed today.”

The courage to approach the terrifying Fist Demon and ask him for help. With courage like that, he would surely be able to make a good life for himself.

“Yes.”

Seok threw his arms around Geom Mugeuk. The child trembled in his embrace, and Geom Mugeuk slowly stroked his head.

“Benefactor, please accept my bow.”

Huiya tried to bow to the Fist Demon, but an invisible force stopped her.

“There's no need.”

“Please let me bow to you. It's all I can offer.”

“I merely did what your brother asked.”

With that, the Fist Demon clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.

Huiya looked at Seok. He ran over and hugged his sister.

“Huiya.”

“Seok.”

This time, nestled in his sister's arms, Seok looked at the Fist Demon. Though he felt the child's gaze, filled with admiration, respect, and gratitude, the Fist Demon simply continued looking up at the sky with his hands behind his back.

Mrs. Sim offered her thanks through tears.

“Thank you. I will never forget this kindness, even after I die.”

Geom Mugeuk spoke to Mrs. Sim and Huiya.

“We know he belonged to a gang. We'll take care of everything, so you needn't worry from now on.”

And that wasn't the end of the family's good fortune.

Perhaps deciding that having begun this kindness, he might as well see it through, the Fist Demon approached Mrs. Sim and abruptly asked,

“How long?”

“Pardon?”

“Your leg. How long has it been injured?”

“Oh, about a year.”

“May I take a look?”

While her mother was still bewildered, Huiya quickly answered for her.

“Yes, please!”

The Fist Demon examined Mrs. Sim's leg.

“Bear with the pain for a moment.”

Before she could say anything—

CRACK. SNAP. CRACK-CRACK.

The sound of bones being set rang out. Mrs. Sim screamed as bones that had long since stiffened moved again. But the pain did not last long. The Fist Demon's understanding of human bones and muscles surpassed even the Demon Physician's.

A little later, the Fist Demon made an astonishing pronouncement.

“After some rest and recuperation, you'll be able to stand and walk again.”

Mrs. Sim was so stunned that her mouth hung open, while Huiya and Seok cheered.

“Thank you, benefactor.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Overcome with emotion, the three clung to each other and wept.

Finally, Geom Mugeuk handed Huiya an envelope. Inside was enough money to open a small shop and support the three of them.

Startled, Huiya asked in a trembling voice,

“Why are you giving us this?”

“It isn't from me. I'll be collecting it from that man's gang, so take it without feeling indebted.”

How could this money, or Gong Pae's death, possibly heal her wounds?

What had happened would haunt her for the rest of her life. She would have nightmares, and her distrust of men would run deep.

But this was all Geom Mugeuk could do for her. May you overcome this and live the rest of your life well.

“Why are you showing us such tremendous kindness?”

Huiya felt as though she were receiving, all at once, every blessing she had never been given in her life. So much that she wondered whether she should really accept it.

Looking at the Fist Demon, Geom Mugeuk replied,

“Because your little brother chose that handsome face over there.”

* * *

Leaving Mrs. Sim's home, we headed straight for the Beast Gang.

Unless we tied up the loose ends properly, Seok's family would eventually suffer for it.

Before going, we looked into the Beast Gang and learned that they had committed every sort of vile deed imaginable. They intimidated and threatened the residents, robbed them, beat them, and killed them. They were underworld thugs who ruled this area like kings.

Even if those fucking bastards were simply what they had always been, the greater problem was the Orthodox Martial Alliance branch that had let it happen.

“The fist technique you used earlier was truly magnificent.”

In truth, it had been far too sublime a strike to waste on an insignificant wretch like Gong Pae.

And yet the Fist Demon had killed him personally because of Seok. Since Seok had asked him for help, he had done the killing himself. So the boy could live with the pride of knowing that his own choice had saved his family.

But what had moved me even more was the sight of him holding Huiya's hand as he blasted the bastard away. I believed the girl would live well because of that hand the Fist Demon had held around hers. Whenever life grew hard, she would remember that huge, thick hand.

“You have my respect.”

“Every time you open your mouth, out comes flattery.”

“I mean it, Master.”

I had casually slipped in the word Master, but his defenses remained impenetrable.

“A fine attempt, Second Young Master.”

And so we arrived at the manor where the Beast Gang lived.

At the sight of the Fist Demon, the man guarding the gate panicked, slammed it shut, and ran inside.

“Alarm! Alarm!”

Listening to his shouts, the Fist Demon remarked self-deprecatingly,

“See? My face alone is enough to raise the alarm.”

Had it been Seo Daeryong, I would have teased him about that for a good three days. But as long as the Fist Demon was with me, I had no intention of letting him feel insecure about his face.

“I did see. The admiration in that girl's eyes as she looked up at you earlier.”

Perhaps those words had put him in a good mood.

The Fist Demon laid his palm against the gate.

BANG!

The heavy gate tore apart like a sheet of paper and flew away.

He entered first. From behind, his immense back seemed to fill that wide entrance entirely.