“These bastards! What the hell were you doing all night!!!”
The next morning at breakfast time, when Chaeyoo turned to No Hoseong, he saw several bandits, including a few executives, kneeling on the ground looking like they had been through a war, getting scolded.
“Chaeyoo, please forgive us. My men couldn’t control their overflowing bloodlust last night.”
One green-haired executive tried to stop Chaeyoo, who was about to kill his subordinates with a sword.
What’s going on that you’re going on about killing?
“If the Green Forest is overflowing with bloodlust, do you just rob the fields? Don’t you know the government troops will come if you raid the villages? Are you trying to destroy the Black Tiger Society? Are you in league with those fools?”
Raiding a landlord was like robbing tax collectors and loan sharks—all bad news.
So they actually went and robbed one. Did they really become bandits?
“They said they wore masks and robbed it. And that landlord was so notorious here that no one doesn’t know him. Even if the county magistrate goes after them, they’ll be too scared to investigate properly.”
“If you robbed it, then bring everything back! How does it make sense to share it with the village?”
Chaeyoo, in utter disbelief, started yelling at the kneeling bandits with furious gestures.
“Chaeyoo! How can we carry that much grain? They said they brought a bit of gold, so please calm down.”
Other executives, watching the situation unfold, jumped in to say it wasn’t all that bad.
“Those bastards! Lock them up and don’t feed them for ten days!”
Even as the executives urged him to calm down, Chaeyoo couldn’t quell his rage, stabbed his sword into the ground, and went back to his room.
“…F*cking idiots.”
Someone quietly muttered next to me, watching him.
—–
“I brought some rice porridge.”
I headed over with a bowl of porridge at the request of an executive who asked me to bring some for the recently locked-up bandits.
“Do the commoners really like it?”
“Hehehe. Like? More like they’d cry with joy if they had a home.”
“Oooh.”
The area in front of the prison was bustling with bandits sharing their ridiculous experiences, all in excitement.
I thought I’d secretly give them porridge, but with so many people, maybe it wouldn’t be possible.
“Hey! You guys! Eat and let’s talk!”
Ignoring my concerns, the bandits shared the porridge they brought with their locked-up comrades.
“I’m stuffed. Damn, I’m really full.”
“Me too. Hehehe.”
Even after being beaten by Chaeyoo, the robbers still shared glances with one another, excited.
“Did you eat well while robbing the landlord?”
“No. I’m full from seeing the villagers smile.”
The other bandits looked at their comrade, completely confused about what he was saying. Then another comrade, wanting to join in, opened his mouth.
“Me too. Damn. When we used to rob, everyone was scared of us, but now the villagers are crying and laughing after we share the grain. Just seeing that makes me full.”
“This is what that feeling is like. I’ve felt something in my chest since earlier.”
The other bandits inside the prison, despite being beaten, wore smiles that wouldn’t fade.
“……”
The bandits outside the prison looked shocked, unable to speak as they watched this scene.
This vibe is taking a bizarre turn.
—————————
Suspicion began to grow in the Black Tiger Society.
“Hong Gildong! Gather the bandits of the Hwalbindang! They said if we make the rich cry tears and boogers, the common people will be happy! This is called the trickle-down effect! That’s what I mean!”
The problem is that in this situation, I had to keep talking about the story of Hong Gildong to maintain my position.
I subtly pointed out that the story of Hong Gildong is fiction and following it may lead to disaster, but the bandits didn’t react as expected.
“If we create a trickle-down effect through banditry.”
“If we engage in banditry, we could earn respect.”
“Brother Hong Gildong…”
Uncles, could you laugh or chat like before? Why do you look like you’re meditating in a solemn religious gathering?
With the situation reaching this extent, more and more bandits began to act strangely.
“Why are those guys wearing red headbands?”
“They say they’re carrying on Brother Hong Gildong’s will. They think they’re the Hwalbindang.”
“Huh? Is that so? I want one too.”
“……”
More bandits began to wear red headbands, taking the ‘Hong’ from Hong Gildong’s name.
“Are you guys crazy or something?”
“Chaeyoo! Please, consider! Those were just rotten grains. What’s so terrible about giving them to the nearby towns?”
Some bandits started giving away the grains stored in the Black Tiger Society to nearby villages.
“These bastards! Now wearing masks to rob loan sharks? Do they really want to die?”
“Chaeyoo! Don’t you know about the trickle-down effect? If we make the rich weep, the commoners will be happy! Are we fighting over one rich bastard’s tears?”
Robbery was truly becoming a trend among these bandits.
What’s wrong with everyone? I might go insane myself.
Despite my concerns, the robbing activities of the Black Tiger Society became increasingly active, and the more the new Chaeyoo and some executives reprimanded them, the more the atmosphere became tense.
————
With half of the Black Tiger Society wearing red headbands and the resentment piling up, an incident finally occurred.
“Chaeyoo! This isn’t right!”
Bandits from the Black Tiger Society returned after finishing their jobs, and among them, a green-haired executive wearing a red headband was pointing his finger at Chaeyoo, arguing.
“What the hell is this bastard saying?”
“They were just peddlers! Poor peddlers with only one guard! What do you think will happen if we slaughter them just for not paying tolls!”
“Idiot! Those bastards have nowhere to get money!”
Chaeyoo remarked curtly, implying kill them all since they wouldn’t receive any ransom.
“No! Chaeyoo! We don’t have money to extort from poor people! We’re not in a position to just eat whatever we earn every day!”
The executive raised his voice in disbelief.
“What happened to this guy? Didn’t he just say something different not long ago?”
Indeed, he had been eating poorly, having consumed the food called ideological food. By the way, it seems that killing poor peddlers wasn’t just today’s news.
“Survival! I didn’t know anything else back then! If we’re short on cash, then raid the nearby corrupt officials or landlords! As forest bandits, we have to keep our principles!”
“Is this guy serious? Touch the officials? Don’t you know ‘the government is untouchable’? Are we all ready to die together?”
“Then shouldn’t we at least wear masks when we do it? Following Chaeyoo’s example won’t earn us the hearts of the people!”
“People’s hearts? Did this guy lose his mind after hearing Hong Gildong? Hey! I’m the Hong Gildong of the Central Plains, so shut up and follow me while you can!”
“Noo! Chaeyoo is not Brother Hong Gildong!”
The executive shouted, red-faced as if someone had insulted his favorite character.
“This guy just keeps climbing!”
“Honestly… the previous Chaeyoo was better. He wasn’t Hong Gildong, but he was on par with his loyal followers. Uck!”
Wow. People can fly like that. The head of the Black Tiger Society punched the executive in the gut.
“Don’t defend that bastard in front of me!!! Just you watch.”
“Guhk! Kugh!”
The violence was lopsided enough to make one want to look away.
“Hey, you! Are you finally starting to reflect?”
The head of the Black Tiger Society lifted the fallen executive by his hair.
“Ptoo! Chaeyoo… is not Hong Gildong, but a filthy corrupt official!”
The executive spat blood all over Chaeyoo.
“That bastard. This is enough.”
Crunch. Chaeyoo snapped the executive’s neck just like that. Every bandit wearing a red headband was left in shock, jaws dropped at the sight.
“What are you staring at! Clean up the body!”
The forest bandits reluctantly complied with Chaeyoo’s order, their faces filled with suppressed rage.
——–
That evening, many bandits from the Black Tiger Society crowded around an inn. Their hair color may vary, but everyone was wearing a red headband and had furious expressions.
I didn’t wear a red headband, so why am I here?
“How could he kill such a good guy? Chaeyoo, that bastard.”
“What are those leeches attached to Chaeyoo planning to do in gathering money like this?”
“They just don’t think. What’s the difference between us and regular robbers?”
You guys already are a bunch of burglars.
The bandits gathered in the inn grumbled and voiced their discontent against Chaeyoo and his inner circle.
I felt like an employee stuck at an unwanted company gathering, pretending to fill the space, when I heard a strange remark from beside me.
“Those Okcheon Postal Office idiots. They said negotiations won’t go through unless they spend the money on the Okcheon Heobu. So, Chaeyoo’s planning to kill them all tomorrow evening.”
“Are you serious? That’ll mean war with the postal office, right?”
“They said they need to set an example. What else can I say if I follow Chaeyoo’s orders? We have to wipe them out.”
I’m also part of that Okcheon Postal Office crew.
What a crisis this is. Suddenly life expectancy seems less than 24 hours.
Of course, if I’m lucky, I might survive like a Hong Gildong novel. But if Chaeyoo points to me as the cause of the Black Tiger Society’s unrest, I’ll die together tomorrow.
‘I need to find an escape route.’
I quickly assessed my situation. The bandits were harboring resentment. They were filled with anger. But they didn’t want to go against Chaeyoo’s orders.
Why?
Because they fear Chaeyoo. They fear Chaeyoo and his close aides. And if this continues, I will die tomorrow.
‘So, I need to eliminate that fear.’
Even if I survive, I have no intention of living here forever. I want to escape with Lady Tang and go to Yichang to write books.
Let’s eliminate the fear of Chaeyoo.
Let’s create chaos in the Black Tiger Society.
I need to escape.
“It’s all my fault.”
In a low yet intense voice amplified by the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique, I spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, my voice filled with guilt.
“What did you do wrong?”
With just those words, the previously chaotic atmosphere was instantly dampened, and everyone turned to face me.
I stood up and positioned myself where all could see.
“It’s my fault! All my fault! The reason the situation has come to this is that I was blind!”
I began my self-criticism with a sorrowful expression, thumping my chest.
“Why were your eyes blind? Aren’t they wide open right now?”
“Even with my eyes open, I could not see correctly! I mistook Chaeyoo’s bearing for that of Hong Gildong! How could I not say my eyes were blind?”
Everyone remembered how I had praised Chaeyoo as Hong Gildong during the celebratory day. I drew their attention back to my words, refocusing it on Chaeyoo.
“Yeah. What kind of Hong Gildong is he!”
“Did you hear? He said he’s Hong Gildong! What a lunatic!”
Good. Let that rage toward Chaeyoo pour out.
“Have you ever seen Chaeyoo’s secret storeroom? He’s always whining about money, yet he enjoys that gold and jewels inside! How can we call such a person Hong Gildong?”
I painted a picture of Chaeyoo greedily lounging around in a room full of treasure, like a cartoon character who dives into a bathtub filled with gold.
“Cha… Chaeyoo has a secret stash?”
“I think I’ve heard rumors about it.”
“If it’s true, he’s worse than a corrupt official!”
I genuinely didn’t know if there was a real stash, but to set him up as the face of evil, we needed a reason just as significant as a biochemical weapon, right?
“Chaeyoo is not Hong Gildong! Chaeyoo and his aides drink the tears (淚) produced by wealth (富) like wine (酒)! They are the very bourgeoisie (富淚酒兒) that Hong Gildong despised!”
“Is Chaeyoo a bourgeoisie (富淚酒兒)?”
At that, the seated bandits’ eyes widened as if they realized something.
“Then Party Leader! How should we deal with the bourgeoisie?”
A red-headed executive with green hair approached me, kneeling and bowing his head.
No, why am I the Party Leader? This is a problem.
“Watch your words! Do we need a head? We’re all different in hair color, but we all share one heart! We are all members of the Hwalbindang!”
I pointed accusatorily at the man who called me ‘Party Leader,’ as if I were preaching in a rage.
“Y-yes! Indeed, Party Leader!”
Stop calling me ‘Party Leader.’ In Joseon, treason could wipe out an entire clan, I have no intention of becoming a traitor here.
This won’t do. It seems they think of me as their leader by standing up to speak; it’s an urgent situation now.
“Stand up!”
“What? Ah, okay.”
I grabbed the hand of the man who called me ‘Party Leader’ and raised him up.
“Stand! You too!”
I pulled one by one to their feet, starting from the green-haired executive. Seeing all the red headbands rise, everyone started to stand.
It’s great that I have them all up now, but it’s making it hard for me to see.
I hopped onto a high drawer and began pounding my chest as I spoke.
“Chaeyoo and! His aides have! No unified party! They have no spirit of the Hwalbindang!”
“That’s right!”
“True!”
“No matter how good the words are, they won’t listen!”
“Chaeyoo and his aides have already separated from us!”
I gestured as if tearing something apart with both hands.
“Then what should we do?”
I looked at the bandits, hoping for one clear answer.
In truth, everyone knew.
Everyone wanted to say it. But they were too scared. They couldn’t bind their opinions into one voice and felt unable to speak.
The madness that filled the name of Hwalbindang inside the Black Tiger Society.
Just like in movies where everything succeeds with just a small push from someone like the American Teacher Cho, now I just needed to nudge that madness slightly.
Take advantage of that chaos to escape.
I thumped my chest and pulled out the words that were hiding in every bandit’s heart.
“Let’s! Drive out Chaeyoo! And make the Black Tiger Society! This very Black Tiger Society! A true unified party! A Hwalbindang!”
