Hammurabi Style - Chapter 17

 

[ You can spend one of the abnormal statuses you have saved and temporarily strengthen your physical ability. Strengthening level and time limit depend on the abnormal status you spend. (Limit per day: 1.)]

 

“What.”

He held high expectations since it was labeled as the one and only.

But it was just strengthening his body.

Even for just once a day.

‘It’s not as strong as I thought.’

Kimin was a little disappointed but pulled himself together.

‘But strengthening my body can cover my weakness.’

The skill, abnormal status absorption, wasn’t really invincible.

However, strengthening his body might make up for his weak points.

Kimin could break a person who tries to tie him with a rope.

Also, he could just cut the rope with his strength.

‘Well, the best thing is to not get into that kind of situation at all.’ 

Prevention was obviously the best thing for him.

Kimin looked around.

He had to try the skill out to understand it.

He was thinking about using the skill at the moment.

An empty place outside of Seoul.

He couldn’t sense anyone’s presence.

‘Shall I try it? Let’s see how much stronger I am.’

Kimin had to choose which abnormal status he would spend.

He chose deadly poison power.

After swallowing an orange-colored power, he mumbled quietly.

“Adaptation.”

 

[ Your body will be strengthened. The decision is progressing… ]

[ Decision completed. Strengthen level: 5, Time limit: 10min. ]

 

“Oh… my…”

Kimin deluded himself that his body was floating at the moment.

His body was so light.

It was just like a feather.

He felt like he could fly anywhere he wanted…

His blood vessels and muscles were bloated.

His body was moving the way he wanted perfectly.

Complete control of the body.

It was literally a feeling that he was alive.

“Ha…”

He hopped several times and then squatted down.

Then,

“Ha!”

He pushed the ground as hard as he could.

It was a standing high jump.

BANG-

“Urgh!”

He left deep footprints on the ground he was standing on and then he was ‘fired’.

‘Rocket’ sounded better than just standing high jump.

It was very high, but Kimin wasn’t afraid.

‘It’s not just strengthening my power. This… strengthens my body as well.’

His conclusion was right.

If it only strengthened his power, his joints and bones wouldn’t be able to handle the power that pushed off the ground.

BANG!

And as per his conclusion, Kimin didn’t have a single tiny scratch on his body even though his landing sound was very heavy.

His face was glowing.

He had a deep smile on his mouth.

This characteristic was a lot more incredible than he thought.

Kimin looked down on his fist.

He opened his hand and clenched his fist so hard.

*

After his tests, he left a mess all over the place.

The ground was pitted with craters just like a bomb had fallen and huge rocks were broken in pieces that no one could guess the original shape.

Kimin was proudly looking at the place he had completely messed up.

He could now understand the new characteristic enough.

First, he couldn’t use it for a long time.

Then, it wouldn’t be his main skill.

It meant he couldn’t beat someone all of a sudden with brute strength like a burly guy.

However, this characteristic was a complete ‘life vest’.

Strengthening the body beyond anyone’s imagination!

It would let Kimin break everything and run away when he was in danger.

‘Good. I’m satisfied.’

Kimin opened up his shoulders and breathed in deeply.

He had rested enough.

It was time to start his next revenge.

 

***

 

Kimin came back to his hotel.

He pulled up some news on his computer monitor.

[ Daehong Park, the chairman in the Ohsung group, who had so many rumors, is still ‘in coma’. ]

Daehong Park.

This abominable old man kidnapped Kimin who tried to live quietly and he tried to spend Kimin’s lifespan for himself.

Kimin thought about the time when the old guy tied him up and forced Kimin to absorb his illness and then gnashed his teeth.

‘You must be killed by me. You can’t just die because of your stupid illness.’

He continued searching for news about Daehong and found something interesting.

[ Daehong Park moved from the VIP patient room in the Soyul university hospital to a suite patient room in the Ohsung hospital. “For better medical care.” ]

The article content wasn’t that different from the title, but Kimin focused on the point.

‘He has moved? From the Soyul hospital to the Ohsung hospital?’

But why?

He had to move from the best hospital in Korea to his company’s hospital.

The title that said ‘for better medical care’ didn’t make any sense.

Frankly speaking, the Ohsung hospital was a lower grade than the Soyul hospital.

Ohsung could change the level of their facility with money, but couldn’t do something with the level of their doctors.

That was why Daehong Park went to the Soyul hospital at first.

‘He obstinately went to the lower grade hospital.’

Kimin got to the core.

‘Officially, they will say that they moved him because he is the chairman of Ohsung group and that’s how they moved him to the Ohsung hospital… But they just gave up on him. They are going to just prolong his life, so he doesn’t have to be in the Soyul hospital anymore. Then, it means…’

‘He doesn’t have that much time.’

The fact hit Kimin like a bolt from the blue as he stood up suddenly.

‘No way! I must be the one who kills you. Please stay alive.’

There was no time.

Kimin had to advance his plan.

 

***

 

Beep— Beep—

The medical device was beeping slowly in sync with the old man’s heartbeat. The wide suite room in the Ohsung hospital was turning red with the sunset.

While the old man on the bed was also turning red with it,

“No one turns on the light here?”

Click.

As somebody turned on the light, the sunset instantly disappeared over the window.

Shukkk-

The guy closed the curtains on the windows and sat down on a chair next to the bed.

He moved his fingers in the air.

Just like he was touching something at the moment.

He mumbled for a moment and touched something in the air.

Then,

“Ugh…”

While watching the old man’s eyelids that were wriggling, he said “I should remove the respirator now.”

*

After a while,

The old man opened his eyes.

If somebody who knew the man saw this moment, he would scream that it was a miracle.

He barely opened his mouth while laying down.

He seemed that he couldn’t pronounce very well.

Probably, it was because he had the respirator on for too long.

“Is… Is somebody… there?”

Silence.

The old man tried to pick up his body, but it was impossible.

He struggled to breathe and tried his best to roll his eyes.

“!!”

There was someone next to him.

The old man squinted his eyes to see him more clearly.

He was wearing a security guard’s suit.

“Ohh… You are… here!”

“…”

No answer came back from the guy.

“Young man… Call… Call the doctor. I… Daehong Park… have woken up. I’m… still alive.”

However, the security guard didn’t move a muscle.

“What… are you… doing!! Quick! Call…! The doctor!”

Daehong Park shook his cheeks so hard and shouted.

He sounded more like whispering.

“Hey…! Doc…tor!! Doctor!!”

“Hey, Daehong Park.”

The guy’s voice stopped Daehong’s shouting.

“Do you remember me?”

“Um?”

The voice was definitely familiar.

However, he couldn’t remember.

“I… don’t know. By… the way, such a… little punk… isn’t showing me… respect…”

“You don’t? Serious? Don’t you remember Kimin Kim?”

“Kimin Kim?”

The chairman’s memory stopped when he passed out.

It was when Kimin was tied on the chair.

“Oh… I remember… That stupid bitc… guy… It was you…”

Daehong Park smiled.

“Finally… You have… decided… Good. You were… going to do this… anyways… Why did you… deny so much? I will give you… $100,000. Take it from… Jinbum and call… the doctor… quickly…”

He totally misunderstood that Kimin eventually gave in to Dongsoo Choi’s toture and then absorbed his illness which is how he woke up from the coma.

This ridiculous reaction made Kimin giggle.

“Nope. The doctor is not going to come. Also, I don’t need your money.”

“What…?”

“You have been hospitalized for more than a year and an half.”

“That…! That’s… a lie!”

“Why do you think so?”

“If it’s…been a year…and a half… since we caught you…, It’s… impossible that… you are alive!! Dongsoo Choi… won’t… let that… happen…!”

The chairman’s eyes rolled and faced Kimin’s.

Kimin’s eyes didn’t have any motion.

An ominous feeling of foreboding overcame Daehong Park.

“Clock… Show me… a clock.”

Kimin in silence picked up the desk clock next to the bed and pushed it in front of Daehong’s eyes.

The clock had a date and a year on the screen.

The chairman didn’t say anything for a while.

He was confused.

Is the clock manipulated?

However, it didn’t make sense that no one was around except Kimin in the room.

Daehong Park asked weakly.

“Dongsoo… What about Dongsoo Choi…?”

“Dongsoo Choi? He died.”

Kimin approached the old man’s face.

“By me.”

The old man rolled his eyes slightly.

He tried to avoid Kimin’s mad eyes.

He could avoid Kimin’s eyes, however, there was no way to avoid Kimin’s madness.

The old man gnashed his few teeth and grumbled towards Kimin.

“What… bullshit…! Why the hell… was Dongsoo Choi… killed… by a guy… like you!!”

“Believe it or not.”

“Of course… not!! I don’t… trust… those kinds of lies. Just… call the… doctor!”

“Lies… How about this?”

Kimin thought about something for a moment and then snapped his finger.

“Uh…? Huhh…?”

His immovable toes started wriggling.

The moment the old man couldn’t help getting surprised,

Snap.

Kimin’s finger snapped again.

“Oh….”

This time, he made a disappointed sound from his mouth.

His toes hardened like a stone again.

“Do you understand the situation now?”

The old man understood everything.

“Absorption… Then…  release.”

“…”

“What a… world-class… healer. I see… no… love for mankind… from you though.”

“I learned that from you. Love for mankind is useless.”

The old man giggled and then sparked his eyes.

“Hey… Kimin. Spare… my life.”

“…”

Kimin was looking down in silence with his arms folded. The old man tried to look up at Kimin.

“I will give you… Ohsung.”

Kimin laughed helplessly.

“What about Jinbum? Your son?”

“It doesn’t… matter… If I say so…, they will do it. They can’t… disobey.”

“Ohsung…”

“I… will… support you. With your… skill…, we can… rule… the world!!”

In front of the old man’s expecting eyes, Kimin shook his head slowly.

The old man’s eyes were losing light fast.

“But… Why…?”

“If the purpose is ruling the world, I can do it by myself. Don’t you think? How dare you try to take advantage of me?”

“…”

The old man had nothing to say.

Kimin was right.

“Besides, Your Ohsung will disappear. I will destroy it.”

“Why…?”

“Why? Well, I just don’t like it. Maybe it’s because you established this company. So, I will just do that.”

“You… You…..!!!!!”

“After killing you, who should I kill next? Jinbum?”

“I won’t… forgive you…! Never…! Never….!! Doctor… Oh…! Doctor….!!! How come… there is… nobody…”

Ha-

Is there anything sweeter than an enemy’s wails?

While being drunk with the sweet feeling, Kimin slowly opened his mouth.

“By the way, Daehong Park. It’s time to go back if you finished seeing the world.”

“…!”

Daehong stopped his wailing.

“I should go back. Were you going to keep staying here? You don’t belong here.”

“…Then… where… are you talking… about?”

Even though Daehong Park already knew the answer, he asked the question while almost crying.

It was because he didn’t want to lose himself and wanted to stay in the world where he could still think.

“Do you want to know?”
Kimin smiled and delivered his final judgment.

“Hell.”

Snap-

Devil’s snapping sound.

The illnesses that came out for a walk were coming back to the old guy’s body.

One by one.

“No…. No… N…”

The old man panted roughly and closed his eyes.

Then, he couldn’t even open his eyes again.

 

*

*

*

 

“I’m truly sorry for your loss.”

 

Daehong Park’s funeral.

Jinbum Park was welcoming attendees.