Chapter 67: CH 64

Chapter 64
 
     Apart from being rather ruthless, it was also a rather curious request.
     I wouldn’t contract any random person to kill a family member–he just asked Seo Dawon out of the blue…to kill family at that…Or, perhaps, was Seo Dawon a famous assassin in the underworld?
     Jung Garam, after listening to Seo Dawon, was deep in thought. “If you’re talking about Koo Kyungman’s older brother…No way–Koo Hui-seo?”
     Though it was the first time I’ve ever heard that name, Seo Dawon nodded and replied, “Yeah. Koo Hui-seo.”
     “How do you kill him?” Jung Garam said, eyes widening as if he heard something ridiculous.
     “That’s why I refused. Even if it’s me…” Seo Dawon trailed off as he noticed that I couldn’t follow this conversation. “Ah, is this the first time Lee-kyung-ie’s heard of him? Koo Hui-seo is a famous [Dark Mage] amongst the rankers. During my heyday, I was compared to him a lot–perhaps because of my class.”
     However, even with that short introduction, both the name and class, [Dark Mage], were still unfamiliar to me. I thought I’d have to search it up separately, later.
     Fortunately, Seo Dawon made that extra effort unnecessary and added a more detailed explanation. “[Red Dragon] was originally supposed to be inherited by Koo Hui-seo, but after he,  left his brother took over. That’s Koo Kyungman…Afterwards, Koo Kyungman had asked me to assassinate his brother thrice, but I’ve refused every single time.”
     He requested three times? Then, the brothers must have an incredibly bad relationship…
     What I was really curious about, rather than stories of the [Red Dragon], were Kim Hui-seo’s skills.
     It was a bit shocking to hear Jung Garam, who seemed so confident, say ‘How do you kill him.’ How should I say this…I found it hard to believe that there would be someone so strong that either Seo Dawon or Jung Garam would not dare attempt an attack on their life.
“S-so…That person? He must be very strong? If you refused that contract…” I asked them without hiding my interest.
     Immediately, Seo Dawon tilted his head, and Jung Garam released a perplexed noise.
     “Koo Hui-seo was strong, yeah. But he wasn’t stronger than hyung.” Jung Garam squinted his eyes at me. “You don’t think…You thought Dawon hyung refused the contract because he was scared?” He burst into loud cackles.
     “Ah, no, that’s not it…” At Garam’s dumbfounded laughter, I shook my hands, trying to give an excuse.
      Seo Dawon smirked, “I didn’t refuse because of Koo Hui-seo’s skills…There’s a famous ‘curse’ on him. His mother is a famous witch.”
     The Mage then proceeded to tell me the full story…
     Apparently, Koo Hui-seo had been suffering from countless assassination attempts ever since he left the [Red Dragon] guild. Since the guild was founded by a bunch of gangsters, the resulting grudge was considerably persistent.
     Even if Koo Hui-seo had dragged the [Red Dragon] guild behind him for years, he became the enemy eldest son after parting ways…That’s why, less than a year after leaving, he had sustained a large number of serious injuries.
     “That’s when Koo Hui-seo’s biological mother came forward and put a ‘curse’ on her son. If you injure or kill her son, the same retribution will fall upon your head. After that, those that even harmed a hair on Koo Hui-seo’s head had their heads explode…That’s what made him famous.”
      I couldn’t keep my mouth shut–what ferocious love for her child.
      Moreover, a curse of that magnitude…Doesn’t that make Koo Hui-seo completely invincible? Even if he were to attack first, his opponent wouldn’t be able to do much except run away.
     “Then, that person…is completely invincible?” I asked.
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      “You can’t go anywhere near him without gear that protects against that curse.”
     “Ah…Ahh! Then, if you have protective gear, the curse doesn’t work?”

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     “The protective gear protects me when I invoke the curse in an ‘unintended attack.’…If you try to kill Koo Hui-seo, the magnitude of retribution might be different. After rumors of the curse spread, a man tried to assassinate Koo Hui-seo clad in legendary protective gear. The moment his dagger touched his target, his head exploded.”
      “Then, assassination is impossible.” Now that I’ve heard the full story, I could see why Seo Dawon refused to follow through with the contract. Honestly, that contract itself was ridiculous? It’s as if he’s saying ‘I’ll pay you a lot, so please kill yourself….’
      “Koo Kyungman should have done it himself, why is he asking you….” I grumbled.
     “At the time he requested me, I was told that there was a way to nullify the curse. However, it was not a proven method, and I had no desire to go out of my way to tangle myself with Koo Hui-seo’s affairs by killing him…”
     Not a proven method…So, the [Red Dragon] leader wanted a guinea pig.
     Then, Seo Dawon tucked his chin in slightly and muttered to himself, “But…Koo Kyungman looked so desperate at the time. It didn’t seem like a simple assassination born simply out of jilted feelings…It felt like he was in a state of panic?”
     Jung Garam added, confirming Seo Dawon’s hypothesis, “Ah! That’s right! Wasn’t this bastard always incredibly scared of Koo Hui-seo?” After pondering something for a long time, he continued. “I received an invitation for a guild celebration from [Red Dragon] before Koo Hui-seo left…When they were toasting with champagne, I heard the sound of glass breaking–Koo Kyungman had broken his cup.”
     Jung Garam didn’t think much about the incident then, but, in retrospect, something had seemed weird. “As soon as everyone noticed the broken cup, he knelt on his knees and pleaded to Koo Hui-seo. Shards of glass pierced his palms…The atmosphere suddenly chilled because of him.”
     It was certainly strange for there to be such tension between biological brothers.
     Usually, mistakes like that would lead to some teasing–some embarrassment…Ingrained attitudes like that only happen between relationships where hierarchy is thoroughly delineated.
    “Uh…That’s definitely weird……” I nodded.
     Jung Garam shook his head, “That’s not *just* weird. After that, Koo Hui-seo moved as if he were going to help him stand up, but Koo Kyungman covered his head with his hands. He acted just like someone who was often beaten?”
     “Domestic violence…Is that what you’re thinking?”
     “Well, that’s a possibility. Though, Koo Hui-seo looked more…sorrowful than angry? At least, that’s how I felt. And usually, the two of them were rumored to have a good relationship…”
     Seo Dawon filled in some concluding details, “However, when Koo Hui-seo left [Red Dragon], people gossiped that the two’s relationship had drastically deteriorated…Similarly, Koo Kyungman had been advertising assassination contracts on his brother half a year after that divide.”
     After hearing this story, I was utterly curious as to the real nature of the bond between the two brothers. However, Seo Dawon seemed to be steering our focus on the possibility of a third party–the matter may not be solely a brotherly issue.
     Seo Dawon searched something on my cell phone and showed us the screen: Ahn Hospital, a large hospital that specialized in Users located in the hub.
     “Apparently, two months before we went to the Tower of Command, Koo Hui-seo was admitted into a VIP suite: undefined coma……But last I checked, I heard that Koo Hui-seo was still housed there? It’s a little suspicious, right?”
     Seo Dawon flicked to the next photo: a snapshot of Koo Kyungman at the lobby of Ahn hospital. “Koo Kyungman invested a lot of money every year into Ahn hospital after his brother was admitted…Furthermore, Koo Hui-seo’s exact whereabouts remain unknown after the hospitalization. I have no clear evidence for my theory, but I think Koo Hui-seo is still alive and confined within this hospital.”
     I asked one question after thinking through his words, “He’s still alive? Didn’t you say he’s been the target of his brother’s assassination contracts?”
     “Maybe he’s alive, but not truly living. The hospital is a great facility to comfortably keep people in captivity.”
     Because of the curse, he couldn’t afford to kill his brother, so he knocked him unconscious and locked him in the hospital? Then…when Seo Dawon said he’d destabilize the [Red Dragon] guild first…
     My ominous prediction was correct; Seo Dawon read my anxious eyes and confirmed my expectations. “We need to go in there and find Koo Hui-seo.”
 
 
TL: Does your mama love you if she doesn’t literally make you invincible?

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