Right then, the comm module let out a sharp ping.
On the screen, Doce’s digital head flickered into view—slightly distorted, like it was being streamed through some ancient porn protocol.
“Eh… amigos…
You know I love you… like tax inspectors after a dry season.
I see you’re still alive—but for some reason, el profesor chiflado isn’t answering!
Chico metálico… you didn’t kill him, did you?!”
Zeros already opened his mouth to say, “Yeah. So what?”
—but Blindy jumped in first.
“HOOOLA, AMIGOOOOS! Cumbachos muchachos—”
He butchered the accent so badly
even Zeros felt secondhand embarrassment for existence itself.
“We dropped the cargo… yeah, to that El Profesor Chiflado…
Logs in the system. I’m sendin’ ’em now.
Check it yourself!
All clean—cargo done, payment done… no mess…
then he goes like, ‘I call your guy,’—swear to God—
and then boom… hyper-jumps the hell out.
Gone…
Uh… Andromeda… yeah, yeah.
The big one. The… galaxy thing.
Far. Like—real far.
Said he needed to get way, waaay further from us.
Too much noise, he said.Right, Zeros?”
Zeros slowly shook his head.
“This white king of dumbasses
is talking absolute shit.
Anyway, you fat bastard—
you promised us a second job.
So talk.
And deal with your professor yourself.
I don’t give a shit.”
Doce’s hologram started shaking like someone turned a centrifuge on inside it.
He unleashed a long, poetic, upside-down string of Spanish profanity—
seven layers deep—
then suddenly cut himself off and exhaled.
“You are impossible, coño!
Did you at least think about MY cut?!
But bueno… bueno.
Here’s what we do.
This next mission—you don’t screw it up.
And I take twenty-five percent.
¿¡ENTENDIDO!?
That’s for daño emocional.“
Blindy swallowed hard. “Cut” almost killed him—but he lived.
Although, when Doce added:
“And if you don’t pay—
I put you on the blacklist, puta.
No more bar access.”
Blindy went pale, started shaking like a puppy before an ice bath.
“Doce… brooo—c’mon, man…
We’ll pay! Of course we’ll pay—
hell, take… take forty! Just—yeah, forty!”
The hologram instantly stabilized.
“Bien. Then we understand each other.
FORTY percent is mine.
Chicos listos. Always a pleasure working with you.”
Zeros clenched his hand so hard the seat handle creaked in protest.
Doce continued, now in full business mode:
“Sending data for the next mission.
Read carefully. Execute properly.
And I’ll warn you in advance…
if you fail this one—
you won’t be dealing with me.”
He leaned closer to the holo-camera.
For a split second, the pixels formed something almost human.
“You’ll answer to…
MA DONG-RHO.”
The connection cut.
Silence hung in the air—
like a debt nobody intended to pay.
[And then Jackie's stunned voice burst into the broadcast]“WHAAAT?! Ma Dong-Rho?!
My samchon Ma Dong-Rho?!
Uncle… what did you mess up this time…”
[Dick instantly choked—then swallowed. Then swallowed again. It sounded like a man trying to swallow his own fear]“Baby… what did you just say?
You… you said Ma Dong—
hold up…May the Deep Throat swallow me whole…
Ma Dong-RHO is uncle Jacqueline RHO?!”
[He froze.
Across the galaxy, listeners collectively lost their shit so hard
the station gained +29% rating instantly]“Wait… wait…
You mean THE MA DONG-RHO…
King of The Iron Tiger Pa…
the guy running underground ops across ten sectors?!”
[Dick swallowed,—again,—hard. Even the universe paused]” THAT…
THAT MONSTER FROM THE ASS OF HELL—IS YOUR UNCLE?!”
[Jackie smiled shyly—like she was talking about a sweet old man]“Well… yeah. He raised me.
I don’t really get why everyone’s so scared of him.
He’s actually very gentle. Kind. Calm…”
[Dick dragged a hand down his face like he was trying to erase reality]“GENTLE?!
He once put six K2-class droids
into emergency shutdown with ONE HIT!K2 CLASS, Baby—
twenty feet wide—armored nightmares!Are we even talking about the same… being?!”
[Jackie replied calmly, like discussing soup recipes]“Yeah, that’s him.
But he was always different with me.
We had two simple rules at home:
First—don’t touch his kimchi.
Second—if he’s watching the news,
you stay quiet like a little mouse.Other than that… he’s a sweetie.”
[Dick stared into the void]“…I don’t understand you.
I don’t understand your family.
I don’t understand the universe.”
[Jackie giggled softly]“Oh waah …
My uncle met Zeros and Blindy…
Samchon… how could you NOT tell me that?!
Tomorrow when I go see him for ramen—
I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.”
[Dick's jaw dropped.
He physically grabbed it and pushed it back up]“…You… YOU’RE GONNA PICK A FIGHT WITH MA DONG-RHO?!”
[Jackie laughed lightly.
The rating spiked to 99% like someone injected pure nostalgia into space]“Oh come on…
I run that house.
Samchon listens to me.”
[Silence.
Somewhere far away, fate cracked.
Probably Dick's fate]“I… officially fear you more than Zeros now.
Alright, Baby… I’m staying out of your family business.
I’d like to live at least until next episode.
And knowing your uncle…
if I piss him off—
even Deep Throat’s gonna look like a merciful death.”