THE MARKET

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Namdaemun Market had the scent of nostalgia and comfort food

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Namdaemun Market had the scent of nostalgia and comfort food. For decades, people flocked to buy vegetables and seafood, and savor the best dishes Seoul had to offer. If one wished to get a bite of food culture, one only had to go to two places- a local's home or street food.

But it wasn't always smooth business inside the market. While it was known to locals and tourists as a go-to place, secretly, it was also a stomping ground for the Black Tigers.

(Soundtrack: Rock you like a Hurricane- Scorpions)

They were dressed sharply and had tiger-striped tattoos on their arms. One of them was stout and had an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Another had a hairstyle similar to a high school teenager but left people coughing due to his extra-strong cologne. Their group leader had a bushy mustache and strutted so that people could hear the gold chains on his neck jingle- to announce that they had ka-ching-ka-ching.

 Their group leader had a bushy mustache and strutted so that people could hear the gold chains on his neck jingle- to announce that they had ka-ching-ka-ching

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The Black Tigers were a group of wizards that extorted money from vendors. They preyed on people down on their luck, and if they could not pay, the syndicates were not afraid to use magic and muscle.

"No! Please don't!" Junghwa tugged on the man's sleeve. "I'm sorry, I don't have the money right now!"

"Miss Uhm. You said that a week ago," the leader spoke in a sweet tone, relishing at the woman's fear. "Now, I can't guarantee I can protect your business if I don't have my money."

"B-but-," Junghwa looked up with quivering eyes, her hold loosening.

Her teenage son unexpectedly stepped in. "Ajussi! My mother is sick. We used our money for her treatments. Please, if we could-"

"Bro! You know what to do," the leader pointed his head to one of his members.

The stout man snickered and snapped his fingers once, then, twice, then on the third snap, a small flame appeared. Junghwa and her son watched with bated breath as the man innocently lit his cigarette. He then sneered at them.

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