Chapter 18

Dan Woosung was heading home near Danhyangru, so he walked while enjoying the night streets for the first time in a long while.

While Geumhwaru was a high-class brothel, Yanghwa Street, where Danhyangru was located, was far from having a luxurious atmosphere. It was a place with relatively low prices and more crowded with people.

Because of this, those who frequent Yanghwa Street dislike those who play at Geumhwaru. It’s no big deal, but they felt there was a difference in wealth and attire.

A man retching in the alley, others drinking at outdoor tables, and already staggering drunks passed by Danwooseong.

Originally, this was a night street where Samaguk had to be present among the Yeoseongjusa for it to feel safe.

Without Samagyeok, one often got caught up in fights here.

Even the failed scholar would get angry when his friends were hit, and the successor to the Pyo Bureau would go berserk and fight when a brawl broke out. Occasionally, when a major fight erupted, the escort squad on guard duty for the Eunha Trading Company would rush over and clean up the mess.

With every step Danwooseong took, the memory replayed.

People might wonder why the young master of the Galaxy Trading Company would get involved in street brawls, but on the night streets and at drinking parties, he was no different from the rest. In fact, he often started the trouble himself.

He wasn’t called a good-for-nothing for nothing. There was never any real reason behind the fights of these hotheaded youths.

With a pouch hanging from my shoulder, I walked alone through the night streets for the first time in ages. Quite a few people recognized the young master of the Eunha Trading Guild.

‘Long time no see, you bastard.’

‘Why’s he out alone after disappearing for so long?’

Those he’d fought before, those he’d beaten earlier, those he’d clashed with several times gathered around inns, streets, and brothels, staring blankly at Danwooseong as he passed.

Human memory often only kicks in after seeing something, and Danwooseong was especially like that.

Walking down Yanghwa-gil, I recalled the messy, low-level fights the Crown Prince had been entangled in. He’d taken a lot of beatings, occasionally landed some punches himself, but it seemed he’d vented much of the pent-up anger in his heart.

‘Damn, he really was a piece of work.’

However, the fights here had a certain limit. They stopped at beating the other person up; it rarely escalated to knife fights.

Even the back alleys had their own rules.

A man drinking near the Yanghua Inn recognized the young master, jumped up, approached, and deliberately bumped shoulders with him.

He was the kind of jerk who would bump shoulders countless times on the street, then suddenly start a fight or pick a quarrel.

Dan Woo-sung had no desire to avoid this ‘nameless shoulder-bump’ he hadn’t seen in ages, so he let their shoulders collide head-on.

Thud.

The man staggered, clutching his shoulder as he spoke.

“You bastard! Don’t you look where you’re going? Are you trying to get yourself killed today? Why didn’t you get out of the way?”

Dan Woo-sung approached the man and said.

“How the hell am I supposed to avoid this? You crazy bastard.”

The man stared blankly at the Crown Prince.

‘Why is he reacting like this?’

Danwooseong said.

“And how many times do you bump shoulders on the street? Is this your hobby?”

“What?”

Before the man could say anything, Dan Wooseong swung his hand and slapped the man across the face. Thwack—the man fell to the floor. The men drinking together at the Yanghwa Inn jumped to their feet.

“What the hell is that guy doing?”

Then, one man raised his hand as if to stop them, signaling they should watch more.

“Let’s see more.”

Somehow, this wasn’t a familiar situation.

After all, the Crown Prince never acted like this when Samagyeok wasn’t around.

A man looked around to see if Samaguk was nearby.

Amidst this, Danwooseong grabbed the fallen man’s shoulder with his right hand.

“Gaaaah!”

As the man screamed, clutching his shoulder, Dan Wooseong slapped his cheek again. This time, he rolled on the floor three or four times before grabbing his cheek, unable to utter a word. The blow was so hard it felt like half his face was going numb.

Dan Wooseong approached the man and asked.

“I asked why you keep bumping into my shoulder. Is it fun?”

What on earth should the terrified man say in response? His head had already been spinning since he took that slap.

Danwooseong crouched down in front of the man and said.

“You’re not even worth a punch, so why do you torment people like that? If I see you bump shoulders with someone one more time, I’ll turn that shoulder into bone dust. Got it?”

Dan Woo-sung grabbed the man’s hair and said.

“Answer me.”

Did a man like this have no pride?

He glared at Dan Wooseong with eyes wide open. Seeing him as the heir apparent of the Eunha Trading Company only made his anger boil over.

He was a man who wouldn’t listen. But you couldn’t just kill him, so hitting him again was the better option. Since punching him would clearly kill him, Joo Wuseong hooked his middle finger over his thumb and gave him a sharp slap.

With a sharp crack, the man threw his head back and rolled around on the floor.

“Gah!”

Only then did Dan Wooseong realize his insides had been boiling since earlier.

It was because of the courtesan, Sulan. It wasn’t that Sulan had done anything wrong, but her words about having nowhere to return to had made Danwooseong’s blood boil.

A man from the watching crowd spoke up.

“Is it really necessary to beat him up just because he bumped your shoulder? You seem strange today, Your Highness.”

Dan Woo-sung grinned at the man who spoke the truth. Seong Gi-chan, whom everyone called Captain in the Yanghwa District lined with brothels and inns, sat in a chair. Men who served under him as his captains stood by his left and right.

Seong Gi-chan spoke.

“You don’t even have a sword, so why are you acting so cocky? Didn’t you see me? You’re walking around in that old robe you never wore. Are you training in martial arts or something?”

People burst out laughing at the question of whether he was practicing martial arts. It was so incongruous coming from the Grand Prince of the Merchant Guild that they couldn’t help but laugh.

Only the Galaxy Merchant Guild and Yeo Saengju’s friends knew the Grand Prince had changed; word hadn’t reached the ears of those lingering on the streets.

Dan Woo-sung replied.

“I am training.”

“Hahahaha…”

Dan Wooseong’s tone was stiff, sounding like a forced response from a tense man. Seeing the men enjoying themselves, Dan Wooseong smiled along with them.

His mood had been slightly gloomy because of Sulan, but seeing those living thoughtlessly on the night streets lifted his spirits again.

Dan Wooseong was a man far removed from being a saint.

In that sense, this place was perfect. Looking at the thick leather pouch on Danwooseong’s shoulder, someone asked.

“Is that stashed cash? Not like you’re bragging about being rich or anything. Unlucky bastard. Hand it over and leave, and I’ll let you go unharmed.”

Dan Woo-sung replied.

“Uh, yeah, it’s money.”

“How much is it?”

“I don’t know.”

Why was the atmosphere like this? It was as ordinary as a conversation between friends. At times like this, Dan Woo-sung blatantly abused his status as the reckless Crown Prince.

Danwoo Seong didn’t know much either, so he quietly opened one of the pouches on the belt and found it packed full of receipts. Danwoo Seong was startled and said,

“Wow. This must be worth well over a thousand nyang.”

“The Eunha Trading Company is really something else.”

In truth, it was far more than that, but since there were multiple pouches attached, it was hard to gauge the exact amount at a glance.

Seong Gichan kept tilting his head as if puzzled and asked.

“Where did you get this?”

“I took it.”

“From whom?”

Dan Woo-sung grinned.

“Why are you prying into someone else’s money like that? You idiots, is it your money?”

The warm smiles on their faces gradually froze, as if struck by a paralysis.

Sung Ki-chan launched his counterattack.

“Ah, I see. So the Crown Prince finally planned to buy the Golden Pavilion’s First Beauty with money and take her away. A beauty like Ye Seol-ha would be perfect as the matriarch of the Eunha Trading Company. When will the wedding be? You must invite us all. We should get a look at Ye Seol-ha’s face too. She’s been acting so high and mighty.”

“Kwahahahahahaha…”

Whether the counterattack was appropriate or not, laughter blossomed once more. Even Danwooseong found it funny and joined in the laughter.

Dan Wooseong walked up and stood before Sung Ki-chan. Being called the leader on the night streets usually meant either being overwhelmingly large, having a well-balanced, solid build, or being a tough bastard like Cheol Myeong-ho. Sung Ki-chan was slender, but he was just good at fighting.

Seong Gi-chan rose and met Dan Woo-seong’s gaze.

Dan Woo-sung spoke.

“Gichan, let’s have a fight today. I’ve been feeling down… I won’t use my inner strength.”

Seong Gi-chan puckered his lips, then offered his cheek.

“Oh… Hit me here once. Just one hit. Then I’ll start.”

Seong Gi-chan pointed to his own cheek with his finger, as if urging him to strike quickly. Meanwhile, people gathered around Dan Woo-seong, ready to join in the beating if the Crown Prince landed even a single blow.

Dan Woo-sung smiled contentedly.

Had he ever seen such splendid friends? These were all the excellent connections and good friends the good-for-nothing Crown Prince had cultivated.

“Alright. Just one hit.”

Dan Woosung shrugged his shoulders once, then said in a level tone.

“I’m going.”

Then came a loud bang as Sung Ki-chan smashed the table and chair, tumbling backward. Crashing sounds echoed as the dishes on the table shattered, spilling liquor across the floor, and shouts erupted from all around. Sung Ki-chan, who’d taken a blow, seemed to have fainted, unable to get up from the floor.

“You bastard!”

As the two men closest to him charged forward, Dan Wooseong lunged out, spreading his arms wide. Their necks caught on his forearms, sending them spinning a full circle and a half through the air before crashing to the floor.

Men charging in from all directions, chairs clutched in both hands; someone hoisted a table and hurled it. With a crack and a thud, one man flew through the air, clutching his jaw, while another rolled across the floor, struck by a kick.

Danwooseong grabbed the shoulder strap of the man charging from behind and swung him backward.

Thwack! Thud!

“Gah!”

As the man struck in the face by the thick leather pouch retreated, Dan Wooseong swung the pouch diagonally across his waist and behind his shoulder with both hands, then grabbed it with his left hand, wielding it like a double-ended staff while surveying his surroundings.

He deliberately used not a shred of his inner strength.

These guys had their own rules, so Danwooseong intended to stick to his own line. When the scumbags clashed with other scumbags, the gloom that had weighed on him vanished like it had been washed away.

Dan Woo-sung declared.

“Come at me, you bastards…”

His true thoughts were these:

‘Come at me. You other Jin-eons stuck in the past…’

Dan Wooseong sent one man flying with a side kick, then plunged his left hand into the abdomen of the next attacker. As the man gasped for air, on the verge of death, Dan Wooseong patted his back, helping him breathe. With a gasp, the man’s breath returned. Dan Wooseong then shoved the man’s cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.

A moment later, Danwooseong surveyed the dozens of men groaning on the floor, having turned the front of the Yanghwa Inn into a complete mess.

The innkeeper of Yanghua Inn, who had been washing dishcloths and emerged late, sat on a chair a short distance away, sighing.

At that moment, Dan Woo-sung approached the clerk, pulled a receipt from his pouch, and handed it over. Startled, the clerk took the money with both hands.

“That’s for the chairs and tables. Give whatever’s left over to the beaten men for a drink or two.”

“Ah, yes.”

Dan Woo-sung said it as if telling her to check the receipt.

“Is it not enough?”

“No? There should be some left over.”

Dan Woo-sung nodded and slipped away from the chaos.

“If there’s any left, you can have a drink too.”

The shopkeeper replied, waving the receipt in her hand excitedly.

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll put it to good use.”

Dan Woo-sung, walking with his back turned, asked Jomso-i.

“Is Ki-chan dead?”

Jeomso-i glanced toward Seong Gi-chan and said reassuringly,

“He’s still breathing! Go check on him!”

Jumso-i glanced over the fallen bodies once more, then swiftly tucked the note the Crown Prince had given him into his waistband.

Fortunately, there were no witnesses.

Jeomso-i spoke in a slightly irritated tone.

“Damn it, they always fight right in front of our shop. Are they telling us to do business? Or not? Ugh!”

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong

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