Even without rain, the air inside the complex was perpetually damp.
The sky was obscured by thick smoke and smog, barely visible through a chaotic tangle of rooftops haphazardly connected by makeshift planks and panels. Overhead, irregularly strung electrical wires and pipes twisted together like a massive web.
The streets were no different—a scene of pure chaos and disorder.
Buildings, illegally expanded, leaned precariously against one another, with tiny shacks filling the gaps between them. The walls were plastered with peeling paint, graffiti, and soiled advertisents, while rusted and corroded tal structures jutted out like jagged teeth.
In the more populated interior of the complex, steam, rust-colored water, and polluted runoff oozed from every crevice, creating an environnt steeped in filth and stench.
The ground itself was a swamp of gri. Pools of stagnant water dotted the streets, swarming with bugs and rats the size of a person’s head.
Hot steam hissed unpredictably from nearby vents.
Mud clung to shoes with every step.
Shadows of rats and other creatures darted in the periphery, keeping nerves perpetually on edge.
And then there were the opportunists—always lurking, waiting for a mont of distraction to pick a pocket.
It was impossible to let one’s guard down, even for a second—a true hell on earth.
"I just can’t bring myself to like this place," I Go-hyang muttered, staring through the cracked and grimy glass of a large, broken window.
The view beyond was nothing but filth: piles of rotting waste, rusted pipes leaking sewage, and the decaying sprawl of the industrial complex. Far in the distance, however, stood a glimr of hope: Songdo, Incheon’s most prosperous district and a shining beacon of innovation.
It was distant in every sense of the word.
From here, even the towering skyscrapers, so of which soared hundreds of ters into the sky, seed smaller than a fingertip.
The massive holographic advertisents and dazzling beams of light that defined Songdo’s skyline appeared minuscule and insignificant.
Yet, the hope they represented seed to outweigh the entirety of the complex a thousandfold.
I Go-hyang longed to escape this wretched place—a place that could hardly even be called a city.
She wanted to shed the gri of the complex from her body and live as a proper human being, if only for a mont, if only just a little.
But to do so, she needed sothing—sothing that wasn’t bound to this squalid place.
It couldn’t just be any valuable item. It had to be sothing the denizens of this pit wouldn’t covet, yet would hold value in the outside world. Only such an item could safeguard her escape from this cesspool.
To her, there was only one thing that fit the bill:
The land deeds of this godforsaken place.
These docunts had no value here.
Why? Because the local gangs who ruled the complex had forged their own land deeds, rendering the legitimate ones worthless.
But I Go-hyang held onto hope.
She believed that one day, this area would be wiped clean—whether by an army or the police—and the gangs would be eradicated. The land would be returned to its rightful owners.
So, she quietly collected them.
Piece by piece, she amassed the land deeds of Namdong Industrial Complex, securing an astounding 500,000 pyeong of land that no one else cared to claim.
No one took her seriously. People mocked her, calling her insane for wasting her money on useless scraps of paper.
The pinnacle of the ridicule ca when she accepted a job for a gang that ruled the southern sector. Their boss, laughing, tossed her a deed for 10,000 pyeong of land in Namdong Industrial Complex as if it were trash.
His subordinates roared with laughter, clutching their stomachs.
But I Go-hyang quietly accepted the deed. And the laughter grew louder.
That was the mont she beca "Dan Tto."
"Dan Tto"—a nickna that condensed her various traits and quirks into one title:
"Completely insane lunatic" (Dan-dani Michin Tto-rainyeon)
"Knife-crazed lunatic" (Dan-geom Tto-rainyeon)
"Cat" (I Go-hyang)
"Thieving bitch" (Do-deuk-nyeon)
The "cat" part of the nickna ca not just from her na but also from her behavior.
Living in a place teeming with danger ant she had to conceal her identity at all tis. She chose to wear a skintight bodysuit and a cat mask, binding her body tightly with compression bandages to avoid recognition.
She worked only at night to stay hidden, avoiding streets and instead traversing rooftops or leaping between buildings. Her agility and feline-like movents earned her the reputation of a "cat."
And so, she beca Dan Tto.
"Hey, Dan Tto, have you heard the news?"
It was a typical evening when she entered a neutral club to pick up a job.
Even with her body tightly wrapped in compression bandages, the bartender’s eyes never failed to rove over her figure. This ti, however, he tossed out a comnt that piqued her interest.
Normally, she would have dismissed him—he rarely had anything aningful to say—but this ti was different.
"Looks like soone like you exists outside this place."
"What?"
"Soone’s been snatching up the land deeds around here."
"Snatching up… the land deeds?"
"That’s right!"
The bartender—a short man with a freckled, sun-darkened face, greasy blonde ponytail, thick-rimd glasses, and a single gold tooth—grinned obnoxiously.
"They’re offering a whole 1,000 won per pyeong! Hahaha!"
"…"
1,000 won per pyeong.
It was far above the current value of the land but still nowhere near what she had hoped to achieve.
"What’s this? Our little Dan Tto must have, what, 50,000 pyeong? Let’s see… That’s—whoa! Five million won! You could buy yourself a run-down villa!"
Feigning shock, the bartender exaggerated his reaction.
Of course, it was mockery.
The patrons in the club burst into laughter at his words.
"Wow, our cute little stray cat! After all these years of working yourself to the bone, offering half-price promotions, you’re finally seeing the fruits of your labor!"
"Shut up."
Dan Tto, better known as I Go-hyang, had built her collection of Namdong Industrial Complex land deeds by offering discounts on her services to those who provided them.
For significant parcels, she sotis completed jobs entirely in exchange for deeds.
And yet, after all that, the best offer she could get was 1,000 won per pyeong.
But what did the bartender know?
Dan Tto—or rather, I Go-hyang—had been far more relentless and resourceful in her pursuit of land deeds than anyone realized.
She didn’t just accept them as paynt for jobs; she also purchased them and even resorted to theft when the opportunity arose.
"1,000 won per pyeong for 50,000 pyeong… That’s still five hundred million won."
Despite herself, she found the bartender’s words intriguing.
Sure, it was far below her expectations. But what mattered wasn’t the price—it was the fact that the land deeds were gaining value at all.
The hardest part was going from zero to one. From one to ten, things beca much easier.
“Is this the endga?”
If what he said was true, it was ti for her to disappear.
Up until now, the deeds had been worthless, and no one had bothered her.
But that wouldn’t last.
If the land in Namdong Industrial Complex was really being traded, even at 1,000 won per pyeong, and word of this spread?
And if people realized just how much land Dan Tto owned?
“The bosses might already know.”
At 500 million won, it wasn’t enough for the gang bosses to make a move.
If one boss made a play, the others would follow, and the fragile balance of power in the complex would crumble. For now, the risk outweighed the reward.
But what if the price rose to 5,000 won per pyeong?
Or 10,000?
What if it climbed to 100,000?
“It’s a pipe dream, but if it ever reached 100,000 won per pyeong… That would be five billion won.”
Even soone like her—born in Namdong Industrial Complex, without so much as an ID—could do anything with that kind of money.
If she could get her asking price, that is.
"Is it true?"
"Huh?"
"Is it really just 1,000 won? You’re not lying? Soone’s actually buying this land?"
"Hahaha! What’s this, denial? Don’t go ignoring reality just because you don’t like it!"
Judging by his mocking tone, there was a degree of truth to it.
“Ti to get out.”
She made up her mind.
This would be her last job. Afterward, she would vanish.
Escaping the Namdong Industrial Complex required a considerable sum, but now that the deeds were starting to gain value, it was worth it.
“I’ll get out, establish an identity, find a place to live, and start a new life.”
The fact that the deeds were finally worth sothing ant one thing: Namdong Industrial Complex was about to be wiped out.
That was the only scenario in which the land could have value.
In a way, her escape wasn’t just a choice—it was a matter of survival.
"Give today’s job."
"Geez, so cold. No wonder people call you a creepy little pest."
"Shut up and hand it over."
"Yeah, yeah."
The bartender clicked his tongue and handed her a slip of paper.
4-2-3-1-4-2
He gestured with his thumb to the back of the room, where a narrow door was hidden by a curtain.
Simple jobs were typically handled directly through the bartender, but important, high-paying, or highly confidential requests required using such clandestine spaces.
Those jobs always ca with a hefty price tag.
“Perfect for a last gig.”
She brushed past the bartender without a word and stepped behind the curtain.
Walking down the dimly lit hallway, she followed the directions: fourth door on the right, then the third on the left. Eventually, she arrived at the designated room and opened the door.
Inside were several stunning won—so beautiful that even another woman couldn’t help but be montarily stunned.
"Ah, so you’re Dan Tto? Nice to et you. You can call Team Leader Im… or just Ms. Im."
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