Chapter 4
“That’s why. Prepare a seat for us right now!”
“Can’t you hear me say I’m hungry?!”
“If you could just wait a moment, I’ll get you a seat as soon as possible. We’re currently full…”
Looking around, the once-bustling tavern had fallen into a deathly silence.
Everyone was holding their breath, stealing glances at the commotion.
“Full, huh…”
From the very back of the group, a man who had been quietly standing moved forward.
Eun Sowol realized a shadow had fallen over her head.
When she lifted her gaze, a man was looking down at them with chillingly cold eyes.
“If there’s no seat, then we’ll just make one.”
Bang!
The man slammed his fist down onto a table, shattering part of it.
Even though a child like Sowol was sitting there, he showed no hesitation in his threat.
Seeing that, Sowol’s face turned pale.
“That’s the Black Bear Gang…”
“And their boss, Iron Head, is with them.”
“I heard a few days ago, a hero tried to catch them but failed.”
“Apparently, Iron Head can rip a man apart with his bare hands.”
“Shh. Don’t draw attention. We’ll get dragged into this too.”
Sure enough, they were infamous thugs known throughout the area.
Instinctively, Sowol trembled and lowered her head, knowing she mustn’t provoke Iron Head.
But despite her best efforts, Iron Head’s piercing gaze remained fixed on Sowol and Dokgo Ryong, as if demanding they surrender their seat.
Sluurp—
Dokgo Ryong casually sipped his rice wine, acting as if he noticed nothing.
“A couple of beggars get a seat, and we don’t? Doesn’t that seem wrong?”
‘Beggars?’
Was he… calling us beggars?
Sowol quickly glanced at herself.
After days of sleeping outdoors, she was indeed looking filthy.
Dokgo Ryong too, compared to when she first met him, had grown shaggy with unkempt hair and beard, and he wore tattered rags, making him resemble a beggar more than anything.
They had grown so used to their appearance that they hadn’t realized how others would perceive them.
‘No wonder people were avoiding us all the way here…!’
Shame surged through her — but only for a moment.
“You deaf little beggar brat. Can’t you hear me telling you to get lost?”
Crash!
Iron Head violently knocked away Dokgo Ryong’s wine bottle.
The bottle shattered, spilling the remaining liquor onto the dirt floor.
Dokgo Ryong opened his previously closed eyes.
In the moment his eyes flickered—
“I-I’m sorry!”
The youthful voice of a child pierced through the heavy silence.
At some point, Sowol had stepped between the two men.
“We were just about to leave anyway…!”
Of course, that was a lie.
Their noodles hadn’t even been eaten halfway, and the portion Dokgo Ryong had been served was untouched.
“Uncle, let’s go.”
Desperately, Sowol tugged at Dokgo Ryong’s sleeve.
‘There’s no way Uncle could beat someone that dangerous!’
If they fought, they’d be crushed.
And more than anything, Sowol didn’t want to see Dokgo Ryong hurt by that terrifying man.
Dokgo Ryong noticed the small hand trembling against his sleeve.
“Uncle, please. Let’s go, okay?”
Though she forced a smile, her trembling lips and fear-stained eyes betrayed her terror.
Her small fist gripped his sleeve so tightly that it seemed the blood couldn’t circulate.
‘Don’t cry. You can’t cry here.’
Tears welled up by instinct, but she bit them back with all her might.
Even so, her big eyes glistened with barely contained tears.
She looked up at Dokgo Ryong with desperate pleading.
‘Please, Uncle! Let’s just leave!’
It was only for a moment—
Thud.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Dokgo Ryong, expressionless, gently stroking her head.
‘He understood me!’
Good. Pride was nothing compared to survival.
She thought they could finally leave this place safely.
Thud—
But then, Dokgo Ryong pushed Sowol backward.
She stumbled into the arms of a nearby tavern worker.
“Stay put.”
“Uncle…?”
No… no way.
No matter how stubborn he was, surely he wouldn’t be so reckless—?
“You noisy little piglet, squealing from earlier.”
Rip—
Without warning, venomous words spewed from Dokgo Ryong.
Not just Sowol and the tavern boy, but everyone nearby—including the Black Bear Gang—stood frozen, mouths agape.
Iron Head’s brow twitched.
“…Are you talking to me?”
“Who else here looks like a pig besides you?”
Dokgo Ryong let out a snorting laugh, full of mockery.
Sowol almost fainted from shock.
‘Uncle’s gone crazy!’
Was he not worried about being beaten to a pulp by that giant hand?!
“Haha… Hahahahaha!”
Even Iron Head, seemingly lost for words, burst into laughter.
“Hahahahaha.”
“Hahahahaha.”
Dokgo Ryong laughed along with him.
The tavern, frozen a moment ago, filled with their laughter.
Until—
Iron Head suddenly stopped laughing.
“Have I ever met a lunatic like you before?”
A ferocious energy surged from him.
His already-mountainous build seemed to swell even larger, and the heavy table he held crumbled like paper in his grip.
“This is bad…!”
“Someone’s going to die again at this rate!”
Patrons scrambled to flee the tavern.
The tavern owner and servants wore blank expressions of despair.
“Being treated like this… it’s been a long time. You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“Am I supposed to?”
“If you don’t know, let me enlighten you! I am Iron Head, leader of the Black Bear Gang! I’ve conquered both the black and white roads around here and will soon rule even Hahyeon itself!”
His words were a bit exaggerated, but his confidence showed he firmly believed it.
“I’ve seen plenty like you before.”
Gathering up all the challengers and troublemakers who dared cross him could probably fill an entire tavern.
“Do you know what happened to all of them?”
Boom!
Iron Head swung his fist to the side, smashing the tavern wall into pieces and leaving a gaping hole.
“They were all wiped out.
If you don’t want your head blown apart like that wall, you’d better shut your mouth.”
It wasn’t just bravado—
With a punch like that, it felt like he really could smash someone’s skull.
‘Yes, Uncle! Please don’t provoke him anymore! Let’s just leave!’
Sowol clenched her hands tightly and prayed desperately as she stared at Dokgo Ryong.
But Dokgo Ryong only smirked lazily.
“I’ve also seen countless loudmouths like you.”
And then, without warning, he began speaking again—
“Do you know what all of them had in common?”
Iron Head’s brow twitched in response…
