Hong Gil-Dong

RARITYLEGENDARY

ENGLISH V.A.RICHARD KIM

STORYHansaneega@Lee Jongbeom

The one who created a new world with his own strength.He was the son of a nobleman, but as the child of a concubine, he had his limits, so his bloodline was denied. Unlike many who choose to surrender to fate, Hong Gildong chose to resist. He created a group of outlaws called Hwalbindang to help the weak after training in martial arts, Taoist magic, strategy, and tactics. In the end, he established the country of Yul-do for all who were thrown away, and he stood against the times. A man who once built a country truly has the right to be tangled up with Stroke. “Do you know who I am?” “Who are you, huh?” A huge colossus looked down at the small boy and smirked. The kid seemed to be the son of the household that was holding out in the redevelopment area. It wasn’t even funny. He was acting up despite being a nobody from a family that had nothing. ‘But what?’ ‘This kid’s asking if I know who he is?’ “I’m from Hwalbindang!” “What? From where?” He was going to beat the boy up no matter what the boy said, but it was so random, he couldn’t swing his fist. Instead, he started to listen, looking like he was curious what this punk was saying. “Just like a hired thug to be stupid! Do you not know Hwalbindang? Hwalbindang!” “I think I’ve heard it from somewhere… Is it a gang in Seoul…?” It was an unfamiliar name. But he’d definitely heard it before. ‘Somehow, I feel a little…nostalgic?’ “Do you not even know the name of the group Hong Gildong leads?” “This crazy bastard… You’re talking nonsense.” The giant had grabbed the boy with his hands, but tossed him away when he realized he was spending energy on a stupid thought. “Uwah!” There was no need to worry about the short scream. How could he do this work as a hired thug if he worried about things like that? Instead, the giant looked down at his massive pecs. ‘I’m gonna lose muscle mass because of that kid…’ His calories had to only be used for his muscles. He grew angry and hit the kid again. He kicked the kid in the middle of his abdomen so the boy couldn’t even scream.  “Cough, cough.” Instead, he just coughed, feeling like he couldn’t breathe. “Stop acting weak, punk. Do you even know how difficult you made things for us because you burned up that place? A real big higher-up was there and huh? We were nice to you because we felt bad for you, but you paid back our kindness with that crap?” “Dammit… Don’t talk crap. You guys just stuck a sticker on the house we obviously lived in and are trying to steal it. How is that kindness?” “Your grandpa was the one who signed the contract!” “So getting someone who has dementia to sign a contract is fine?” “Have you not had enough? You keep mouthing off, punk.” “Ugh.” The colossus had no intention to continue the conversation. -If they continue to be irritating, just bury them. He planned to beat him up to a pulp so the kid would get scared. His boss told him to do it the other way, but… He actually was someone who could absolutely kill someone and be fine. It was just that he wasn’t so far gone that he would kill a young kid. -Screech Just then, they heard a car outside. Looking outside, it was a Mercedes. The colossus jumped to his feet very quickly, which was very unlike him. He bowed deeply in respect towards the door. “Oh, good.” The man who walked in was one of the bosses. He was more well-known as One-Eye rather than by his name. But if you called him by his nickname, then that day was the day of your funeral. No, the odds were that you wouldn’t even get to have a funeral. Because he’d chop you up and feed you to dogs. “The small size will make it easy to bury somewhere.” One-Eye talked about the boy like nothing, like he was a piece of furniture. So it felt even more savage. The boy who talked back to everything the colossus said had shut his mouth. The peculiar stench of blood that followed those who killed other people permeated through the room. “Sir? No, I scared him…” “And if he sets fires again? Then what will you do about my reputation?” “Um…” "What, are you afraid you might get caught? Don't worry. I'll make it even smaller." One-Eye snickered and waved a hand towards the car. Then, One-Eye’s right-hand man carried over a plastic box. He felt something ominous. “And it’s too late for this kid to escape death.” As soon as One-Eye finished his sentence, his right-hand man opened the box. “Ugh.” The giant instinctively looked away. The head of the old man, the one with dementia, the one he himself had made sign the contract, was in the box. “I’ll put you in there too, if you make things difficult, so let’s do this right.” One-Eye thumped the trembling colossus on the shoulder. He definitely thumped him with a hand, but it felt like a blade. He had imagined it. But it was hard to just ignore it. There were more than a few people who met their maker after they rubbed him the wrong way. There was a rumor that he was the one who offed the big boss. The reason why no one could say anything about it was simply because of fear. -Knock knock One-Eye was about to leave when someone knocked on the door. The door was open, so it was just for show. “What the hell?” One-Eye looked annoyed. ‘Huh?’ His face was annoyed, but he had a touch of uneasiness. Because there was no way the underlings he’d posted outside would knock. And there was no way they’d just let a stranger knock the door. ‘Then that means...’ “I’ll be coming in.” A man dressed in strange clothes walked through the door. It seemed like a hanbok, but his shoes were trendy, stylish sneakers. “Are you a lunatic?” “I’m Hong Gildong.” “You’re a lunatic. Move him.” The uneasy One-Eye waved a hand. The colossus swung a fist as soon he did. He nearly lost the boss’s trust, right? No, he might have already. Then he had to make up for it. “Uh…” He had to, but at some point, he found the hanbok-dressed lunatic standing behind him. That was the last thing the colossus saw. “Are you alright?” Hong Gildong struck the giant on the back of the neck and made him pass out. He then walked over to the boy. He acted as if One-Eye and his right-hand man weren’t even there. -Shing That irritated One-Eye. It irritated One-Eye’s right-hand man, too. They both pulled out sashimi knives. There wasn’t even a trace of hesitation. “I’m oka… Okay… Run… Run away…” “You said you yourself were a part of Hwalbindang, no?” “It’s something from a children’s story. It was a joke.” “I do not look down on a poor man’s words as a joke.” While he talked to the boy, Hong Gildong was dodging the two men’s swords. ‘No, this isn’t dodging.’ “What the hell is happening?!” “Uh, sir!” “What… What is this crap…” The two blades were stabbing the air all around the room, just not Hong Gildong’s body. But this suddenly changed. One-Eye looked down at the blade sticking out of his right-hand man’s belly and looked at his hand, dripping with blood. He then looked at his belly. His right-hand man’s blade was stuck into his own belly. “It wouldn’t be that great to cut you two down myself, would it?” said Hong Gildong towards the men, collapsing onto their sides. He’d picked up the boy at some point. “I’m sorry about your grandfather.” Hong Gildong walked out of the room with boy in his arms. The boy realized the man was walking on air long after. “Wait, no. But this… What…” “Do you have somewhere to go?” “No, I…” “Then would you like to go to Yul-do? I can’t say it’s heavenly, but it’ll be better to live than here.” “Oh, okay.” “Alright, then go hear the details from that man. I’m a little busy.” Hong Gildong passed the boy over to his subordinate, and he disappeared in a flash. ‘Saying he darts in and out of places is not enough now, I guess.’ The boy thought it was too fast, but Hong Gildong was discontent. Unlike before, the world had too many bad guys now. What was worse was that there were some who just hurt people for no reason, not for money or revenge. -Ring Then, he heard it. ‘Ugh, I said I was busy.’ Hong Gildong just erased the sound. The force that took on the form of sound, the one that was undeniable, also collapsed. The guide yelled on the platform. “No, what is this?! How is this possible?!” ‘There’s someone who can resist the call of the platform?’ ‘No, even if he could, shouldn’t he first listen to what it was about?’ This was the human world equivalent of having more than ten missed calls from the same number. -Try it in the form of a text message. There is a sense of urgency to him, too. He didn’t report to him to try and hide his incompetency, but there was nothing he could do if this is how it was turning out. That was why he sent up a report, and that was the answer he received. Thinking about it, this was actually possible. -Hong Gildong. If you come to the platform, you will be able to achieve what you want. With that, he sent off the message. There was no response. Looking at it again, it felt a little like a phishing message. -Hong Gildong. I know what you want. Ew. He actually sent this. -Hong Gildong. The Monkey King is on the platform. Since things had come so far, he sent that off thinking he’d just say whatever he wanted, but Hong Gildong appeared in front of him. “Where is the Monkey King?” “Uhh…?” “I need his replicating magic. Tell me now.” ‘What would happen if I said the Monkey King isn’t here yet?’ “Um, first, choose something else.” “Keep babbling only if you want to die.” “Well, when you get here… My job is done.” “What?” Hong Gildong saw he was alone and the guide had disappeared. He couldn’t eve see a monkey, let alone the Monkey King. ‘Dammit.’ ‘Scammed? At this age?’ He was angrier now than when he was unable to call his father his father.