Mercenary Black Mamba

"Come here."

Gim Mal-sun gestured to Yeong-suk who was standing at the side. An orphaned child was the saddest being in the world. Yeong-suk approached her slowly.

"How old are you?"

"Five."

Yeong-suk smiled and waved her hand.

"Look how cute you are! You must be Yeong-a's sister."

Gim Mal-sun lifted her up and sat her on her lap. At that moment, Kkamdung's eyes shone.

[Who is this young girl?]

[I saved her from human traffickers, but haven't found their parents yet. Why?]

[She needs to be monitored closely.]

Kkamdung wondered. Most people associate all psychological activities to the brain, but the mind is actually a collaboration between the brain and the heart. The emotions emitted by the brain are amplified by the experiences accumulated from the world and kept in the heart. Hence, emotions are thus amplified by experience.

The girl's brain secreted neurotransmitters as expected, but her heart didn't react. And yet, she is still able to react emotionally, just like any other human. That would mean a deliberate intent was involved.

[Monitor her? She's just a cute little girl.]

Mu-ssang was indifferent. Yeong-suk was about to be sold to Japan with I Min-ju, who had the Rh-null blood type. He still felt pity for her.

"Oh my!"

The sound of Aunt Hadong pounding her own chest pushed Yeong-suk out of his mind.

"Sis, why did you go up there when it was raining?"

"I went up there to grab some pine leaves. Mu-ssang had eaten some old dried persimmons at his uncle's house and was suffering a bellyache."

"Gi-sik was crippled after falling from that very rock. You are lucky that you are still alive."

"Oh my! So, did you lose your memories?"

"That Jang woman must have purposefully given him a rotten persimmon. That bitch!"

Everyone reacted sympathetically while Gim Mal-sun related the story of how she fell from the Eagle Rock at Mount Wolsong. Both Aunt Ha-dong and Jin-sun who knew what really happened, showed even more pity and sympathy than the others.

"Auntie, so how did you run into Mu-ssang?"

Jin-sun flinched at Yeon-sun's question since it was a touchy subject. But as it turned out, Jin-sun's worry unwarranted.

Calmly, Gim Mal-sun told her tale of getting kidnapped by traffickers in Sindongjae. How she was sold to a salt farm on an island and was put to work without pay as a cook for the salt farm workers, all the while doing other various errands. She also told them about how she struggled from one restaurant to another, and how she finally reunited with her son thanks to Yeong-a.

The women who were listening to her story with tears in their eyes, rejoiced with the story's ending. Mu-ssang's heart ached as he watched her recounting her tale calmly and discerningly. She was no longer a frail woman bullied by Jang Pil-nyeo. Her struggles had hardened her and made her stronger.

'My Teacher is indeed great. I shall get him an Agusta as soon as possible!'

Teacher had only tampered with her memories involving Bak In-bo, but left the rest intact. His mother was not weak. Her ordeal was indeed pitiful and difficult for her. However with time, both happy and sad events in her life had turned into nostalgic memories. If he had altered all of her memories, that would have been a serious manipulation of a woman's growth and life journey. As usual, Teacher handled things well.

"Sis, you must have lost your years along with your memories. If I lost mine, will I look younger too?"

Gim Mal-sun seemed like she had evaded the touch of time, and Aunt Hadong envied her. All eyes were on Gim Mal-sun.

"No! I orphaned my child for 17 years. What good are these looks?"

Gim Mal-sun answered firmly.

"You only say that because you have the youthful features."

Aunt Hadong grumbled.

Thus, Eungsimje welcomed its rightful owner.

Both mother and son sat face to face with teacups in hand. There were some conversations that could only take place between a mother and her son.

"Mu-ssang, why did you build such a big house? I think I can get lost in here!"

"Do you still remember how Jang Pil-nyeo bullied you, saying you are poor and did not have a house of your own. She was jealous of your beauty. Do you remember?"

"Yeah. She made my life incredibly hard. I grew up an orphan and poor, so she wasn't wrong, but it was still hurtful. You can still remember things that happened a long time ago."

"I was a child then but I felt humiliated too. At that moment, I vowed that I would build a house 10 times bigger than the Jangs'. I think this one is actually 20 times bigger."

Mu-ssang laughed. It was a funny albeit sad story.

"Yeah. You must have missed me terribly to have created an island in the pond and named it Mal-sun Island. I am to blame for all that has happened."

Mal-sun sobbed.

"Mother, I created both Lake Jin-bo and Mal-sun Island as my prayer and wish for your eternal happiness with Father. Don't cry."

"Your poor naive father! May his soul rest in peace."

"Teacher said his soul has entered a good path. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, it must be so. No man is kinder and more compassionate than your father. You take after him!"

Gim Mal-sun continued to weep.

"Mother, stop crying. You should not meet Jang Pil-nyeo with red eyes."

"Meet Jang Pil-nyeo?"

Gim Mal-sun immediately stopped crying and fear rose within her instinctively.

"Don't worry. She no long has any power now."

"What do you mean?"

"Her entire family has fallen. She is a nobody now."

"How could this happen?"

Gim Mal-sun was shocked. She never expect the Jangs to fall ever.

"They are but nothing to me now."

Mu-ssang grinned.

"My son is good. What did you do?"

"I now own most of the farmland that the Jangs previously held. So, it does seem like I had done something."

"Oh my! They used to say that it is impossible to travel across Indong without stepping on Jang's property. Why would they sell their land? Did you buy it all?"

Gim Mal-sun's eyes widened in surprise. Unimaginable things continued to happen. Mu-ssang recounted how his uncle had founded a big company, and how the Jangs attempted to take over the company, only to be met with retaliation.

"So together with my uncle, we divvied up the lands between the two of us. They are not that expensive: one square kilometer of paddies, 82,500 square meters of fields, 99,000 square meters of orchards, and some mountains. It's really nothing."

To Mu-ssang, those numbers were nothing, but not to Gim Mal-sun.

"Oh my!"

Gim Mal-sun gaped in awe. They might have been able to buy a few more patches of paddies after a decade of labor, but this amount was unimaginable.

"The world does change. I cannot believe that your uncle managed to grow his company to that size, and that the Jangs would end up like that."

"What has risen is bound to fall. I bought my uncle's company too. Tomorrow, Jang Pil-nyeo will be booted out, and you will take her place."

"What do you mean? I know nothing!"

"You don't need to. You only need to greet the shareholders. Tomorrow, Jang Pil-nyeo will finally fall. You only have to do what I tell you and you shall get your revenge."

"Yeah. I may be able to forgive everyone but her."

Jang Pil-nyeo was hated even by Gim Mal-sun, regardless of her kindest heart.

The doorbell rang. Jin-sun picked up the intercom.

"Hello. Delivery from the embassy."

On the screen, a lanky Westerner came into view. Jin-sun opened the door with the press of a button. Sometimes, they received direct deliveries from the embassy, such as supplies or documents that were needed urgently. This time, a car was used for delivery.

"Thank you."

The man from the embassy took down two suitcases from the vehicle, had the receipt signed, and left right away. The suitcases were filled with clothes directly delivered from France. Jin-sun had nagged at Mu-ssang, and Mu-ssang at the DGSE in turn, for these to arrive sooner.

"Thank God they're not late."

Jin-sun opened the suitcases. Various clothing items, accessories, and cosmetics poured out into a pile.

"Mother! Your clothes have arrived from France!"

Jin-sun shouted from the open area between the rooms.

"Whoa!"

Young women immediately ran out of their respective rooms. They looked like wildebeests jumping into a river in the Savannah.

"What is she talking about, Mu-ssang?"

"I ordered clothes for you from France, as the country is well known for fashion."

Mu-ssang said matter-of-factly.

"What are you talking about!"

Gim Mal-sun's mouth fell open in awe once again. What was his son talking about?

"Your son is quite an important figure in France. Let's go try them on. They will look great on you."

Mu-ssang led her mother into the main house. The seven young women, including Yeong-hui and Yeong-ji, were hovering over the delivered goods like wasps, busily trying them on. The living room has turned into a fashion show.

Chanel skirts, Hermès jackets, Cartier wristwatches, Givenchy blouses, Burberry coats, Louis Vuitton shoulder bags, etc. Designer goods tumbled onto the floor like rocks. Special Military Advisor Sbard Gulbeig's request was misinterpreted as an order to splurge in the department store.

Gim Mal-sun had only ever worn hanbok, loose work pants, and an apron before. She was feeling quite overwhelmed and daunted by these clothes, yet the young women were unfazed. The living room of Eungsimje was filled with merry laughter and happy squeals. It was just as Monk Dae-u had predicted. All of life's ordeals have returned in the form of good fortune.

The next day, there was still laughter to be heard. The woman who had just set foot on the front yard was no longer Gim Mal-sun of Jipeundari, but instead, she was Gim Mal-sun, a fashion model.

"Mother! Cut us some slack!"

"Whoa!"

"Oh my, sis!"

Everyone exclaimed. No one could tell that Gim Mal-sun was a middle-aged woman in her late 40s. She was wearing a dark-gray pencil skirt over a pair of tight leggings with vertical stripes. For her top, she was wearing a pearl wool blouse, and a Burberry trench coat paired with a cashmere scarf. Finally, she was sporting a pair of Swede long boots to complete her look.

All of these designer goods worn over her frail figure made her look like some top fashion model. Mu-ssang, who was usually indifferent to fashion, exclaimed as well.

"What shall I do?"

Gim Mal-sun was feeling overwhelmed. All these clothes and her entire look felt so foreign to her.

"They look great on you." Mu-ssang said with a grin.

"Is that so?"

"Of course. You are the best."

Jin-sun gave her a thumbs-up.

"You look good, ma'am."

Both Gim Geuk-do and Gim Gi-task said simultaneously. Gim Mal-sun spread her shoulders wide open. If her son and her daughter-in-law said so, it must be true.

At the lobby of the Hyangsim's headquarters building, a beautiful man and a woman walked in.

"Sir!"

The guard, who was told off by Mu-ssang previously, saluted to him. That gesture caught the attention of plenty of onlookers who squealed in excitement. Jang Pil-nyeo, who was walking in confidently surrounded by her entourage of employees and family, stopped in her tracks.

"What is this?"

Jang Pil-nyeo turned around, and her eyes met Mu-ssang's. A gaze as cold as a winter lake passed between them. Jang Pil-nyeo's mouth fell open in awe. A long time has passed but she could still recognize Mu-ssang.

"Isn't he the son of the concubine?"

Jang Pil-nyeo looked back at Jang Sang-su.

"I'm not sure..."

Jang Sang-su mumbled. He had seen Mu-ssang several times when they were kids. He even spied on him when they were in high school. But all those times were not enough for him to remember his face.

'Is he Mu-ssang or not?'

Jang Pil-nyeo wasn't sure either. Her prejudice was too strong to acknowledge the connection between the farm boy Mu-ssang she used to know, and this man in front of her who possessed both class and charisma. Her button-like eyes looked Mu-ssang up and down.

'Who is that?'

Her gaze turned towards Gim Mal-sun. Her slender body was covered entirely with designer items. Jang Pil-nyeo herself enjoyed shopping occasionally as a pastime with her two daughters. She knew the designers and their brands quite well. Jang Pil-nyeo's small eyes widened as much as she could.

On the other hand, Mu-ssang's mouth was turned up in a smirk. She must have gone through a lot of stress since her face looked as dry as a withered twig, and there were even bald patches on her head. The bones of her eye sockets were visible under her skin. While his mother looked like a newlywed bride, Jang Pil-nyeo looked like someone's great-grandmother. Jang Pil-nyeo always had bony features, and her protruding cheekbones were not flattering either. With her ugly face and the smallpox scars, she ended up marrying the late Bak In-bo.

'That's!"

Her smallpox scars burned. That smirk, with the right side of his mouth turned up, was the very smirk he made when his forehead was cut open by the pesticide bottle that U-tak threw at him. The image of blue pesticide dripping down a blood-soaked face with that very smirk plastered on it, had frequented her nightmares for a long time. So the rumors she heard from her relatives in Jipeundari were true. It was Mu-ssang, and last she heard, he had made a lot of money working overseas.

She knew this would happen, so she stamped on him continuously in hopes to prevent this from happening. But the weed-like boy still bloomed eventually. Her good mood changed immediately to bitter sullenness in a matter of seconds. Her surprise turned into rage about to boil over.