A Handsome Kinky Gangster Reporter

The place where people were looking at. They said there were bodies in there. I took out the camera and the emergency blackout tent from the horse-drawn carriage. Then, I walked to the place which was crowded by people.

“Oh, where is she going so courageously?”

“Let her be. She’ll be shocked and run away in absolute fear.”

Philip rolled his eyes in annoyance and held my arm as if he was engulfed in fear.

“Haley. I think we’d better not go near the corpse. There could be a misunderstanding.”

“We’re just going to snap a couple of pictures. Let’s just take a photo and leave. If people from the National Police Agency come later, they can’t do anything to us.”

Philip followed me from behind with shaking body. He seemed very caring to still manage to follow me and said that he would protect me even though he was afraid. I quickly set up my camera and the blackout tent.

I took one shot of the crime scene from the distance and three shots from a close distance. The neatly mutilated body was a very horrifying sight to look at, as it had once been a living person. At that moment, the cowardly Philip turned away from the gruesome scene, and made me wonder if he was alright. He turned around and sat on the ground.

“Hmm? Philip, what are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Philip turned his head while covering his mouth. He probably felt sick at the sight of the corpse.

“Let’s leave. I’ll stop by the National Police Agency later and ask about the corpse’s identity.”

I put back the camera into the carriage, packed up the bag before putting it in the horse-drawn carriage. I held the reins again and headed to our original destination, to meet Peronel Placher, the designer I was suppose to interview. However, Philip suddenly fell into my arms. His body was trembling violently.

“I’m scared, Haley.”

I lifted my head and gently stroked his blue hair because he seemed genuinely frightened. While thinking such a man with the head bigger than mine could be frightened this much.

*  *  *

Philip ordered his men to chase after the criminals.

The criminals who carried their debt books around. They tortured Philip, who didn’t even know anything and innocent, to pay the debt that didn’t even exist. When Philip gave them all his possessions, they finally seemed satisfied and left the house. However, Philip was furious later when he found out that the debt documents were entirely fake. Philip gritted his teeth in rage.

‘How dare they deceived me?! I won’t let them get away with this.’

After reclaiming the gambling house which once was ran by his father, all he did was tracked down the criminals. On top of that, he vowed to not only confiscate the property of the corrupt and wealthy swindlers, but also torture them for the rest of their lives like slaves.

“What? S*ic*de?”

Lloyd, making excuses, scratched the back of his head.

“I’m sorry, captain. We’ll bring him back alive. This person exclaimed that they were threatened and had no choice but to do as they asked. Then, they didn’t say who was behind it and killed himself.”

There was no sense of loyalty among the criminals. There was something unusual somewhere in this. There seemed to be someone more powerful behind their untimely deaths. Philip had to confirm for himself whether his men’s words were true.

That day was the day Philip personally pursued the surviving impostors. In the past, there had been a total of five imposters, but the last one was hiding like a rat and was very hard to find.

While holding the sharp and hard knife by hand, Philip approached the last swindler.

“I’m sorry. I have a sick daughter. I’m going to give away all the treasures I’ve stolen, so please spare me!”

The swindler knelt at philip while dropping his head to the floor, begging for mercy. Philip only let out a chuckle.

“Daughter? According to my research, you’ve been living on your own without ever marrying anyone. Are you trying to deceive me again?”

Then, with a pale face the impostor lied again.

“She is the child born from a bartender. I had no choice but to take care of her because the mother of the child left her sick daughter to me. If I die, the child will, too. Please spare me!”

The man begged and pleaded in front of Philip again. He said an unbelievable remark.

Then, when Philip rubbed his face, the man quickly turned and tried to flee, as if he thought it was the right time. Philip threw the dagger in his hand at the man’s ankle. The dagger hit the man’s leg along with the gust of the wind, causing the swindler fell forward.

“Ugh!”

The man grabbed his leg as he frowned and screamed in pain. His leg was bleeding slightly.

“There was someone who told you to deceive me, wasn’t it? What’s their name?”

“H-How could you say that?!”

“Just tell me his name. I’ll spare you.”

Philip pulled the dagger from the man’s legs and held it close to his neck as if threatening him. The man grabbed Philip’s shoulder and started begging again.

“P-Please save my daughter. I’m begging you. If he finds out, he’ll kill my daughter! It’s the! The Empress!”

Blood gushed from the mouth of the man who spoke like this.

“Are your men, right?”

When Philip violently let go of the man’s hand, there was a sound of cloth tearing. The man finally died without saying clearly who was behind him. His eyes were swirling with white.

“Empress? What did he just say?”

Philip was sure the impostor was trying to say something else. It was weighing heavily on Philip’s mind.

What was really strange was that the man died with his neck, wrists, and ankles neatly separated, and blood oozing out. It was as if someone had cut him with a knife.

He stepped back in surprise and took a single look around. It was still dark, so there was no one around.

“What is this? I can’t believe it just happened in an instant.”

Instantly, Philip remembered his father had talked about the curse the day before. He heard that there was a rope hanging from his neck and limbs. His father might have become a piece of lifeless flesh like this man if they had saved him even one second late. When Philip thought so, chill ran down his spine, and followed by a sense of horror. After taking a deep breath, he overcame the suffocating pressure and vomited, and tried to turn his gaze to somewhere other than his body.

‘I have to clean up.’

Philip had to quickly change his torn clothes, wash his blood-stained dagger and sweaty body. That was the reason Philip went the “Golden Wild Goose Daily” office near the horrible scene. Inside the office, there was a room built by Haley. The room contained a bathroom and a bed. Philip took a shower there and changed his clothes.

After that, he laid down on the sofa for a while and slept. It was about an hour. Haley suddenly came to the office at dawn.

“You’re here already? You’re early.”

If only she had come to the office sooner and seen Philip with a bloody dagger in his hand. By now, Haley would have been locked up in the Hyron Gambling Underground prison or one of his favorite hiding places. However, Haley, who was not aware of what he was thinking, approached him without hesitation.

“Why are you sleeping here?”

“Oh… The delivery was a bit late yesterday, so I slept here. What about you?”

Haley said that she had an interview scheduled with the designer at dawn. When he asked where she was going, she said P&P boutique. To go there, she have to pass through the alleyway where Philip had thrown the man’s corpse earlier.

“Uh…. Haley. Isn’t it too dark in here? Even when we return later, I think it would be better to take the safe route.”

He was worried that Haley might discovered the location of the crime, so he suggested to go through another street. However, this fearless woman ignored his suggestion.

“Oh my. What had gotten into you?”

Haley teased Philip by asking if he was scared and took over the reins, turning the carriage into the dark alleyway.

The fog was too thick.

A harsh profanities nearly slipped out of Philip’s teeth. He followed her while trying to control his overwhelmed feelings. However, Philip’s fist gradually shook. He repeated the words over and over inwardly so as not to act impulsively.

‘I must not let go of this woman until Father’s curse is lifted.’

According to her mother, Bella, who sometimes came to the mansion to treat his father, his illness needed to be treated for a long time.

Before Philip realized it, people were already crowding around the crime scene. It was said that people had called the police. This fearless woman approached the swindler’s body and said that she had to take pictures of him, so she quickly set up the camera nearby, and took a few pictures of the situation. Philip didn’t like what she did, so he just pacing back and forth, a frown etched on his face.

‘Eh? This is…’

It was a relief to return to the scene. Philip saw a cloth rolling on the street. It must have been something that the swindler had torn up earlier. On the cloth was a scorpion tail along with a black scorpion mark, embroidered with black thread. Philip quickly gritted his teeth.

“Hm? Philip, what are you doing?”

“Oh, n-nothing.”

Philip turned his head while covering his mouth. There was a cloth between his hands and lips. He had to endure it whenever he take a look at the corpse. This tactless woman was always fascinated by this kind of thing.

He spoke while clenching her teeth.

“Haley, I’m scared.”

While snuggling in Hailey’s arms, he stole some photos from her bag. He didn’t know how photos of corpses taken up close would be used, so he decided to steal photos that could be the main evidence.

This innocent woman was easily fooled by his actions again. Haley patted Philip’s head and his back as if to comfort him. The faint scent of roses engulfed Philip’s nose. Just as his younger sister had said, it was a nostalgic scent similar to that of his mother.

*  *  *

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ferronel Fletcher.”

The designer greeted us with a smile. She was the best woman in the capital, so I figured she would have quite a nose. She willingly accepted my request, and said that this interview article would help her career as well.

The P&P boutique was extravagant, even without the chandeliers on. Glittering dresses hung everywhere as if reflecting the morning sun.

‘I won’t have to make a living for the rest of my life if I sell the jewelry on that dress.’

I tried to close my slightly opened jaw. And I tried to make a casual conversation.

“You look beautiful with your hair down.”

Madame Ferronel smiled at the mild compliment on her change in hairstyle. According to my preliminary research, she always stood among people because of her silver-gray hair neatly curled up. One of her trademarks is to insist on a neat hairstyle without causing any distractions on her face.

‘Maybe she hasn’t done her hair yet because it’s just so early in the morning.’

I knew it, but I brought it up on purpose. When we met for the first time, the interviewee would feel overwhelmed if I started with the interview right away. The reporter’s job is to always try to build familiarity with the subject before conducting an interview.

Ferronel smiled with a slight embarrassment, while ruffling her loose hair with both hands.

“I apologize. Actually, I didn’t have time to do my hair because I just woke up. Do you think it’s weird?”

“No, it’s not. On the contrary, you look like a young aristocrat who is so beautiful.”

“Hahaha. I know it’s not a compliment, but thank you for pleasing me.”

Ferronel smiled and took a long look at my face as if something had suddenly occurred to her. She pondered something before asking me.

“Have we met somewhere before?”