Halley’s Modern Diary (3)
In a narrow alley in Daegu, far from the main street, all sorts of junk lay scattered around.
The dim lighting made it a place that ordinary citizens would completely ignore.
No matter how much safety in Korea has improved recently, there were still limits.
In terms of crime measures for typical cases, one could argue, but stepping into such a blatantly shady area out of curiosity would guarantee no safety whatsoever.
Especially in regions where the Blood Alliance’s power was strong, like Seoul.
“Hehe, idiot. That guy messed it all up again,”
“Really? Again?”
“Ugh, shut up. My mood’s already terrible.”
“I knew it. People need to live properly. Why go for a big score like that?”
But for the residents of such a dangerous environment, this was just part of their normal lives.
A group of young men stumbled along, their faces red as if drunk, laughing loudly.
“Did I say shut up? And proper living is nonsense, what do guys like us know about that…”
Lost in their drunken chatter, they didn’t pay attention to the world around them.
Thunk—
The first young man walking ahead, irritated, didn’t notice the figure coming from the opposite side and bumped shoulders.
“Ah, crap! What the hell is this?”
“Keheh! What’s that guy doing?”
“Haha!”
Like he had collided with a steel column, he fell flat on the ground, grimacing in pain as he struggled to rise.
The pain wasn’t so bad due to the alcohol, but that wasn’t the main issue right now.
Being laughed at and pointed at by those around him made his annoyance boil over.
“You jerk! Who the hell do you think you are, bumping into me…”
“Hmm? Me?”
Just as he was about to unleash his fury on the person opposite him.
A sturdy figure stepped forward, cutting through the darkness of the alley.
“Sorry about that. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a place where I had to care about those things.”
He hadn’t bothered to avoid people, as those who saw him tended to steer clear; he was genuinely surprised to bump into someone.
A well-built man in sunglasses scratched the back of his head in a gentleman-like manner.
“Do you think saying sorry is enough? Just hand over the medical fees, and we’re done.”
“Oh sure, your clothes and glasses look nice, too. Leave them behind.”
But unfortunately.
The already drunk young men, their senses dulled, didn’t accept his sincere apology.
Even though he had an impressive appearance, to the residents of Daegu’s underbelly, who belonged to the ‘Black Widow’ organization, looks weren’t that important.
“Consider yourself lucky. If it were in the past, it wouldn’t end like this.”
“Yeah, we probably would have smashed your shoulder first.”
“In that case, you’d be lucky to keep your life.”
Even if they were part of a gang, it was hard to believe that these guys, leisurely stumbling around in a dangerous zone, were just ordinary thugs.
The mystical energy rising around them indicated that, despite their relatively low levels, they were still a significant threat.
The man found himself surrounded by several returnees, cornered in a very awkward situation—.
Halley, who had come here based on intel from newly recruited staff, licked his lips in anticipation.
‘Now this is a fresh experience. I did change my body structure as Director Ha while doing my best to conceal my energy, but…’
He still figured he would at least feel some instinctive hesitation.
But with the alcohol dulling not just his rationality but also his instincts, that didn’t seem to be the case.
In situations like this, there was only one thing he could do.
“Ugh, it can’t be helped. I didn’t want to do anything illegal, but…”
Despite his words, he smiled brightly as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to start physical therapy.
“Oh? You wanna give it a go?”
“Let’s start by breaking your limbs.”
What happened next hardly needed detailed explanation.
Cough! Cough!
Now that, despite their earlier bravado, the men lay crumpled like discarded trash all over the alley.
It was perfectly fitting with the surroundings.
“You… do you even know who we are?! Touching the Black Widow in Daegu, you won’t get away with this!”
As they admired the scene with satisfaction, one of the still somewhat intact men, looking clearer-headed, screamed in a rage.
‘Guess it’s because he’s a newbie; he doesn’t seem completely healed yet.’
From the way he spoke, extra treatment seemed necessary.
Nodding toward them, Halley quickly approached the still spirited patient lying on the ground.
“Eek! My older brother is a senior in the Black Widow! If I get hurt, you think he’ll let it slide?!”
Hearing this, Halley’s step momentarily faltered.
Seeing his threat had some effect, the yelling man’s expression turned slightly triumphant.
“You’ve heard the rumors about Black Night Tiger Kwon Cheol-yong, right? Our big brother in the Black Widow! My older brother, Jang Tae-hyeok, serves him closely! If anything happens to me, my big brother will step in immediately. Do you understand what I’m saying?!”
“Oh? Looks like I found what I was looking for?”
Suddenly interrupting the soaring speech, a calm voice made its entry.
Dumbfounded, the man who had been shouting looked up from the ground.
Against the dim alley light.
A grin on the face of the figure who emerged, shadows dancing across their features.
Like that was an unexpected windfall, there was a genuine smile of delight.
‘…Crap, seems I’ve bitten off more than I can chew…’
At that moment, it felt like the effects of the treatment were kicking in; his senses and instincts returned, starting to do their jobs.
“I just so happened to be looking for that friend. Since this is fate, why don’t you guide me a bit?”
Of course, by then, it was already way too late.
*
The Blood Alliance had existed in the underbelly of the Republic of Korea for over 15 years.
While most of its forces had moved to solidify their influence in Seoul, the organization originally had a strong nature as a federation spreading across the country in crew units.
Crash!
“Damn it! These rotten scumbags… They’re supposed to be a public safety organization but can’t even catch a vampire, yet they’ve become the dogs of those punks?”
Because of that, they had caused various issues across the country and repeatedly clashed over control with the local dark forces who had settled in.
No, in fact, the casualties from fights that had arisen from those issues far outweighed the apparent damage caused.
Given the vampire’s nature, harvesting blood through underground struggles was far easier and more efficient than sourcing it from the surface.
‘This is troubling. This is truly troublesome. I don’t think I’ve been discovered yet, but thinking about those persistent Guardians, it’s only a matter of time before I am.’
Kwon Cheol-yong, the boss of Daegu’s Black Widow, was one of those who had formed a bad relationship with the Blood Alliance during this process.
At that time, maintaining control over Daegu against the scattered power of the Blood Alliance wasn’t too hard, but unfortunately, in that process, many of those he cherished as brothers had died.
“Huh! Have they really thought they could just step to the surface now? With all the blood they’ve spilled in the past still fresh, do they think they can just live in the sunlight?”
When the Blood Alliance had dominated the underground of Korea and become the rulers of the night, even he had to grudgingly accept it under their reign.
Despite any lingering grudges, in a world that operated strictly on power dynamics, it was inevitable to accept results when a clear hierarchy existed.
‘But this is a different case. You broke the underground’s rules first.’
They stood in the light while trying to control crimes happening underneath.
That doesn’t make them part of the underground organization anymore, does it?
Unless it was another police organization.
It was absolutely unfair for him, who pursued the underground so thoroughly, to suddenly collude with outsiders and betray the Blood Alliance.
‘Damn it, things have gone sideways. The bomb terror can fail and it doesn’t matter, but I never expected those stir-crazy celebrities to be subdued and then handed over to the Returnee Association. They’re not even handling their direct problems, leaving it to investigative agencies? Do they not have any pride as rulers of the night?’
Eliminating Lycoris through a bomb terror was a mission that was a “good to have” rather than a “must have.”
What he truly aimed for came next.
If just before this, the celebrities who had clashed with them were all assassinated, who would the public blame first?
‘If the bombing had succeeded, 100%. Even if not, they’d certainly think of Lycoris and the vampires behind them as culprits.’
With so many witnesses around, denying it would be useless.
With so much pressure about to brew from additional preparations, opinions against them would be ignited, and then the government and the association would be burdened with embracing them.
In that way, the trust gained by the Blood Alliance over time would shatter piece by piece, and his plan was to completely dismantle their foundation in the light.
“Damn it, all my plans are turning to dust. I’ll have nothing to say then…”
Kwon Cheol-yong ground his teeth, recalling his hidden accomplice.
Assassination, the most important step in this operation, was far beyond his capabilities.
No matter how much of a master he was, secretly assassinating returnees represented by Cheon Seol-hyang was utterly impossible.
To be honest, he didn’t even have confidence that he could win against her if they outright fought, so naturally, the one slated to perform the assassination would have to possess equal or superior skills.
[There’s no need to explain further. I’ve come fully aware of the situation.]
“Huh! When?”
Right then, as if someone was catching up to him, even Kwon Cheol-yong, a master, didn’t notice the moment that passed.
[Tsk, this is completely gone. At the very least, if it were not for the Southern Seoul department’s brain, I could have tried something.]
A shadow that conveyed meaning not in sound but through the air shook its head slowly.
No matter how specialized he was in assassination, and being on the brink of transcendence, he couldn’t hide his presence from a real transcendent being and secretly kill them.
“…But there’s still a chance. Originally, I couldn’t keep them there for too long…”
[The timing has already shifted. It’s better to come up with a new plan.]
Looking at him, still holding on to his lingering hopes, the shadow—Heuk-Young clicked his tongue inwardly.
They had picked him thinking he would be somewhat useful, but he didn’t seem like someone who could be around for a long time.
‘After I wrap this up, I’ll have to deal with him adequately. If I get involved with him any further, it’ll only lengthen my own tail.’
Right now was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate this land as the Buncheon Society had fully withdrawn from Korea.
To survive in China, where they were on the brink of extinction, the Black Dragon Society must stir the Blood Alliance they had completely taken over and capitalize on the chaos.
‘But with such a poor excuse for a collaborator, it’s only going to be dangerous for us here.’
If he carelessly handled things, he would end up facing attacks from both the Blood Alliance and Buncheon Society, and everything would be over.
In that sense, he needed to find a more competent person who could handle things more definitively…
Knock knock—
“Uh, brother? It’s Tae-hyeok. I have an urgent report to give…”
At that moment, a voice from outside the office interrupted his thoughts.
As Kwon Cheol-yong briefly met Heuk-Young’s gaze, he yelled irritably towards the door.
“I’m busy! Come back later!”
“It’s urgent. For some reason, the Guardian’s investigator has stormed into our territory, and we can’t communicate! If we don’t deal with this immediately…”
But when he heard the frantic response, he couldn’t help but frown.
He was the only one in the organization who knew about this plan.
The others were simply unwittingly cooperating in a way, and he hadn’t imagined that they would stumble onto it this soon.
Understanding the situation, Heuk-Young nodded slowly, seeping into the darkness of the room.
“…Come in.”
Click—
And as the security barrier of the door responded to Kwon Cheol-yong’s command.
“Sniff sniff! Smells like something fishy, stinks of conspiracy?! Kahaha!”
An intruder burst in through the opened door.
A well-groomed man in a suit with hair slicked back, who looked nothing but like a thug.
Startled, Kwon Cheol-yong quickly turned to his aide, Tae-hyeok, but…
“…I’m sorry, brother.”
“You, you…! How the hell did you…!”
Standing at the door, he could only bow his head in disgrace.
As Kwon Cheol-yong trembled with shock from betrayal.
Halley, stepping confidently into the office, smiled brightly at the shadowy corner.
“Wow~ What a catch? Just as our capable newcomers said, I came to knock out the perpetrator, and it turns out the mastermind is right here!”
Right after that.
The shadow in the darkness tried to make a break for it.
[Ugh!]
“Hah! Just as I arrived, where do you think you’re going?!”
If he were far away, he might have had a chance, but now that he was already in sight, there was no way to escape.
Boom—!
The sturdy barriers of the office burst apart in an instant.
As the shadow tried desperately to slip away, Halley pursued like a protector.
In a brief exchange, the hunter finally seized the leash of their prey with a fierce grin.
‘Might have actually lost him there if I’m not careful? Lucky me.’
His escape skills were unexpectedly better than imagined, as all his stats focused on stealth instead of direct combat.
If he had barged in like usual, smashing everything, he would’ve definitely missed him.
‘Indeed, one must live a good life.’
Who would have predicted that choosing this approach to minimize the ruckus while in ‘Director Ha’ mode would yield such results!
All thanks to the physical therapy he generously provided to the young men he met on the street.
Thus, Halley was able to smoothly earn some violence points today as well.
Just like always.
