Chapter 294: Why Didn't You Buy My Doll?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Woojin raised his head. He stared intently at Deokchul, then checked the address on the paper.

"This is my place."

"Ah, so I've come to the right place."

Deokchul smiled and sat across from him. He had just become the first commoner to have a private audience with the Heavenly Demon, but he had no idea how momentous the occasion was.

"Your son is Geom Mugeuk, correct?"

Deokchul's mission was clear. He had to coax the man with sweet words, confirm he was the boy's parent, and get his signature as a guarantor.

"Your son borrowed money. So, you'll need to act as his guarantor."

A momentary silence fell over the tavern. Jo Cheonbae, the customers on the first floor, and the hidden bodyguards all witnessed this incredible moment in history.

Then, Geom Woojin laughed out loud.

Downstairs, Jo Cheonbae startled. He had never seen the Cult Leader laugh before.

Even the hidden bodyguard Hwi had not seen the Heavenly Demon laugh so cheerfully in a very long time.

A smile still lingered on Geom Woojin's face as he spoke.

"I've never had a son who would make his father a debt guarantor."

Deokchul seemed to expect this. He stood and slyly moved to sit beside Geom Woojin.

Jo Cheonbae watched in shock, clenching his fists. The other customers' hearts pounded in anticipation.

Please, don't let a severed head roll down to the first floor!

Everyone else knew the danger, but the man himself was oblivious. He had no idea how much peril he was in.

Deokchul poured a drink for Geom Woojin and consoled him.

"Everyone says that, but what can you do? He might be a rascal, but you still have to pay it back for him."

Thankfully, he did not pat Geom Woojin on the shoulder.

Don't touch his body!

Jo Cheonbae prayed desperately.

"Let me be honest with you. If your son can't repay the money, people will come looking for you. The people who collect debts are scary, so you need to be careful."

Geom Woojin seemed to enjoy the situation. He had never experienced anything like it.

"You don't need to worry about me."

"Then please read this first. You can sign it after you've read it slowly."

Deokchul placed the document before Geom Woojin, then stood up to give him time to read.

"……"

Writings on the wall caught his eye. It was a wall where the Demon Supremes had left messages and signatures.

"A lot of famous people have visited."

Messages ranged from 'the Poison King was here' to traces of the Great Golden Mara Art left by the Demonic Buddha. Next to it, a message from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon also remained.

Blood Heaven, had a drink with a disciple and left.

"Ooooh! The Blood Heaven Blade Demon left something too!"

He glanced at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon doll hanging from his waist. Since he had seen the man in person and bought the doll today, the message felt strangely familiar, as if left by an acquaintance.

Just then, a signature caught his eye. The calligraphy was more powerful than any other writing there.

the Heavenly Demon, Geom Woojin.

Deokchul jumped in surprise.

"Oh! The Demonic Cult Leader was here too. Waaaaah! Did you see this?"

Deokchul looked around.

The people on the first floor stared at him anxiously.

When was the last time I got this much attention?

Deokchul felt a sudden thrill, and his mood lifted for no reason.

"The cook here must be skilled."

He said loudly to those below, then added in a voice only Geom Woojin could hear.

"Then again, the best restaurants are always these shabby-looking places, right?"

He turned back to Jo Cheonbae on the first floor and shouted.

"To think the Demonic Cult Leader visited this place! You could change the tavern's name to 'The Tavern Visited by the Heavenly Demon'. If it were me, I'd change it right now!"

Jo Cheonbae shook his head, his expression screaming, Please, stop!

Then Deokchul flinched and looked back at the wall.

"Huh? Come to think of it, the Demonic Cult Leader's name is also Geom Woojin."

Deokchul glanced at Geom Woojin, then back at the wall.

Jo Cheonbae and the people on the first floor watched with anticipation.

He's finally figuring out who he's talking to! Hurry up and beg for forgiveness!

Deokchul seemed to stare at Geom Woojin, and then he spoke.

"It must be inconvenient having the same name as the Demonic Cult Leader."

A silent sigh spread through the first floor like a wave.

Deokchul never once considered that the man before him could be the Heavenly Demon.

"Now, please sign. You have to do it anyway. Is there any parent who can win against their own child?"

"I have no such son."

"If you don't, your son will be dragged away by scary people."

"To do that, they'd have to be scarier than the people whose names are written on that wall."

Deokchul assumed it was a joke. The world's scariest people were named right there. Anyone scarier could only be found in the afterlife.

"I understand. It's true. You raise these kids, and they all think they grew up on their own. Here, here, take this brush. You can sign right here. I'll have to have my own kids and go through the same thing to understand, 'Ah, so this is how my parents felt.' Don't hesitate, just write your name."

At that, Geom Woojin signed the document as if he could not refuse.

"Well done. This is all for your son's sake."

Looking down at the document, Deokchul flinched again in surprise.

Jo Cheonbae and the customers on the first floor grew hopeful again.

Yes, compare it to the writing on the wall! Turn your head! Please!

As if their wish was granted, Deokchul slowly turned to look at the wall.

His eyes widened. It seemed he was finally about to realize the Heavenly Demon's identity.

"Not only is the name the same, but the handwriting is identical too! Wow, how strange!"

Jo Cheonbae muttered, "Aigoo." The customer beside him lost his grip and dropped his chopsticks. Another clutched his head, sighed, and spilled his drink.

"Surely, you don't look like him too, do you?"

The thought of meeting the Heavenly Demon in such a place never crossed Deokchul's mind.

"Be careful. You could easily be misunderstood for impersonating the Heavenly Demon."

Just then, someone entered the tavern.

At his appearance, everyone on the first floor held their breath.

The man strode inside and walked up to the second floor.

Deokchul glanced over absentmindedly, saw the man, and gave a friendly bow. He thought he recognized the person, but then he yelped. He did know him. The newcomer was none other than the Fist Demon.

The Fist Demon remembered seeing Deokchul earlier below the Headquarters' walls.

The Fist Demon's gaze seemed to say:

What are you, that you keep catching my eye?

Jo Cheonbae and the customers tensed up again. The danger had just doubled.

The Fist Demon greeted Geom Woojin politely.

"I heard you were here, so I came to see you. I have just returned."

"Did you have a good trip?"

"Yes, Cult Leader."

At the words 'Cult Leader', Deokchul blurted out without thinking.

"He's not the Cult Leader, he's just a look-alike!"

Another sigh erupted from the first floor.

Geom Woojin laughed, and the Fist Demon wore a look of disbelief.

Why on earth?

Blinking at the reactions around him, Deokchul's expression gradually changed. Come to think of it, there's no way the Fist Demon would mistake a look-alike for the Cult Leader, is there?

The look-alike's reaction was also strange. Did you have a good trip?

Why would he say that? Because he wasn't a look-alike. He was the real deal.

By the time Deokchul reached this conclusion, his face had turned pale. He groaned, his entire body trembling like a leaf.

The Fist Demon asked Geom Woojin.

"Who is that man?"

"He came here saying I need to be the guarantor for my son's debt."

The Fist Demon stared at Deokchul with a dumbfounded expression.

"No! Absolutely not! There's been some kind of mistake. I was wrong! Please spare me!"

He prostrated himself flat on the floor. With the man's identity as the true Heavenly Demon revealed, Deokchul had just set a new record. He had seen four Demon Supremes and the Heavenly Demon himself in a single day.

Just then, Geom Woojin asked abruptly.

"Why didn't you buy my doll?"

Since no 'Cult Leader' doll existed, the question was why he had not bought the Heavenly Demon Soul doll. This was truly the greatest ordeal Deokchul had faced all day. Jo Cheonbae and the first-floor customers tensed up again.

Then, the Fist Demon chimed in.

"What about my doll?"

Deokchul looked down at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Demonic Buddha dolls stuck in his belt. The large dao and the golden glow were far too conspicuous.

Ah! So in the end, I should have bought the Heavenly Demon Soul doll and the Fist Demon doll today!

Am I going to die because of a single choice? Goatee, I'll never forget you, even in death.

Deokchul did not know what to say. Finally, he spoke in a dejected tone.

"Your dolls were too scary, so I couldn't buy them."

His honest answer was an excellent choice. Geom Woojin laughed, and the Fist Demon laughed with him. The reward for making the Heavenly Demon laugh heartily for the first time in ages was completely unexpected.

Geom Woojin took a piece of paper from his robes and flicked it. It flew slowly through the air and landed in Deokchul's hand.

To his surprise, it was a bank note worth a thousand taels.

"On your way, buy one of my dolls and one of this friend's dolls too."

Deokchul was so shocked his eyes went wide. A silent wave of astonishment spread through the first floor.

"You don't want it?"

"What? No! I'll buy them! I'll buy them right now."

Deokchul, who had been lost in delusion all day, perfectly understood the man's intention in this final moment.

"I'll quit this job immediately and go back to my hometown to live a good life! With the money you've given me, I'll buy land, become a farmer, and live as a dutiful son to my parents."

Having given the correct answer, Deokchul flew through the air. It was not his spirit, but his actual body.

With a single wave of Geom Woojin's hand, Deokchul soared through the air and landed lightly on the first floor.

Gasps of admiration erupted from the first floor. He had received only pitiful sighs all day, but now he finally earned everyone's envy.

Jo Cheonbae said with a kind smile.

"I'll need your signature too. I think we need to commemorate you as the luckiest man in the world."

"Thank you so much for having me as a customer. I'll be sure to visit again someday!"

With tears welling in his eyes, Deokchul gave a polite bow toward the second floor and then left.

I used to work for a moneylender. I went on my first mission, and… He had spent a day no one would ever believe.

Jo Cheonbae looked up to the second floor. Deokchul had been disrespectful several times, yet the Cult Leader had shown mercy and even given him a new life. Jo Cheonbae felt a sincere respect for the Cult Leader.

Above all, he was overjoyed that the Heavenly Demon had laughed out loud today.

Jo Cheonbae wrote today's date on the wall behind the counter and left a message.

The day the Cult Leader laughed heartily.

In all his years selling liquor, today was unforgettable. He had never felt so good.

On the second floor, the two most powerful men in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult began to talk. The Fist Demon was the person Geom Woojin trusted most, so their conversation was comfortable and natural.

"You seem pleased."

"In my entire life, did you ever think I'd be in a position to become a debtor?"

"Being with Mugeuk, you experience things you could never imagine. For instance, gaining an unexpected adopted daughter."

The Fist Demon had come to tell the Heavenly Demon this news first.

"I have decided to take Lee Ahn, Mugeuk's former bodyguard, as my adopted daughter."

Geom Woojin was rarely surprised, but this news astonished him.

Geom Woojin filled the Fist Demon's cup to the brim.

"Congratulations."

The Fist Demon coolly drained the cup he received.

This time, the Fist Demon filled Geom Woojin's cup.

"Gaining a disciple and a daughter. I'm blessed in my later years."

"A daughter is better than a son. You raise a son, and…"

Geom Woojin's gaze drifted to the window, far in the distance.

Still, today, he kind of missed the son who would make his father a debt guarantor.

Geom Mugeuk was holed up in his guest room, completely absorbed in training the Heavenly Space Secret Art.

Now, all his training was done within the Heavenly Space Secret Art. Naturally, he was able to train for much longer. The more time he gained, the more he could train, which in turn allowed him to gain even more time.

While he was training, Jo Yang, the moneylender who had lent him the money, came to visit.

"In all my time doing this job, I've seen all sorts of crazy bastards, but you're the first one I've seen write the Demonic Cult Leader's name as his father."

When Deokchul left the moneylender, he reported the results of his first and last investigation. He called the client a madman for using the Demonic Cult Leader's name. After all, the Heavenly Demon's son would have no reason to use King Yama Loan.

"You couldn't have even met the Demonic Cult Leader, so how can you call it impersonation?"

"You may have been counting on that, but we met him."

"Father?"

"He was supposedly drinking at a shabby tavern?"

This time, Geom Mugeuk laughed out loud. It was a laugh that sounded exactly like the one Geom Woojin had let out at the Alluring Inn.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I was thinking of Father."

The image of his father drinking alone at the Alluring Inn came to mind. Thinking of his father's back, which carried the weight of everything, made him miss him.

"Are you only going to come to your senses after you're dragged to the Demonic Cult, have your skin flayed, and get thrown into a salt barrel?"

"Do you have the guts to take me to the Demonic Cult?"

Jo Yang's eyes turned fierce.

"You seem to think we're just some delinquents running King Yama Loan."

"Are you not?"

A cold sneer formed on Jo Yang's lips.

I've been bored lately, and now an interesting fellow like this appears.

I wonder how I should crush this guy. Jo Yang did not let his thoughts show. The greatest pleasure was politely guiding someone to hell.

"I was told to reveal who Father was, so I did. I was told to write down the address, so I did."

Geom Mugeuk insisted, but Jo Yang did not get angry. The clause in the loan agreement would be punishment enough.

"It's understandable for someone young and reckless. I get it. People often write down fake addresses. Instead, from now on, it's one hundred taels."

"One hundred taels? Didn't I borrow ten taels?"

Jo Yang took the loan agreement from his robes and showed it to him.

"Look here. Isn't it written at the bottom of the agreement? 'If the address or family relations are written incorrectly, the borrower must repay ten times the borrowed amount.'"

"The print is too small to even see, and the wording is too difficult."

"Isn't providing correct information on a loan agreement basic? Anyway, the money you borrowed is now one hundred taels. Naturally, the interest will also be calculated based on a loan of one hundred taels."

"Why do you keep saying I wrote it falsely? I'm telling you, I wrote it correctly."

Jo Yang said in a soft tone.

"What will you do if I bring a real demonic cultist?"

He clearly looked like he had something to rely on.

Since asking directly would not get him the answer he wanted, Geom Mugeuk muttered softly, as if to himself.

"Demonic cultists? From a mere King Yama Loan operator."