What Seoldong held out was a smartphone shattered to pieces. Seongyeom’s smartphone, which had once boasted a sleek design, was bent at a grotesque angle. At the miserable state of the Apple phone that had literally become a “folder phone,” Seongyeom gaped and stared at Seoldong.
“That… I tried to text the Boss pretending to be Teacher, but… I, I got so angry yesterday about something that I accidentally…”
Seoldong glanced at Cheong-i. If Cheong-i, who would normally die in an instant, was giving him the side-eye to this degree, something big must have happened while he was asleep. Seongyeom looked down at his phone, now a lump of scrap metal, with sad eyes over someone else’s lovers’ quarrel.
“I’ll buy you a new one. The latest model.”
“Huh? Hey, you don’t have to go that far.”
Seongyeom waved his hands saying it was fine, but he couldn’t hide his mouth corners rising in a grin. What money would a minor have, but he couldn’t help imagining himself with the latest phone.
“No. Teacher doesn’t have money.”
“Uh… that’s… true.”
It’s true, but it feels kind of weird hearing it from your mouth… These growing gangster sprouts seem to be specialized in the art of giving the disease and the cure. Seongyeom decided to forgive Seoldong with tears in his eyes. I absolve you of your sins, you pure evil child.
“The Boss said to stay in this room for the time being. Your belongings have all been moved as well.”
Daerim opened his mouth, tidying up the atmosphere.
“What? For the time being means…?”
“Until your body fully recovers. Wouldn’t it be difficult to be alone in a cramped room?”
Seongyeom’s thoughts stopped. The excitement he’d felt about the latest phone until just moments ago sank in an instant. His fingertips gripping the blanket trembled faintly.
“How… did you know that?”
He barely squeezed out his voice, but instead of answering, Daerim only double-checked the painkillers and antibiotics to give Seongyeom. It seemed to mean it wasn’t even worth answering.
If the President puts his mind to it, stripping bare one person’s life is nothing—I expected that to some degree. But I thought he’d at least give me a chance to say it with my own mouth.
Seongyeom couldn’t hide his gloomy gaze. He felt frustrated. Even when he raised his head to look at Yi Cheong and Seoldong, no comfort came back. Rather, their faces were calm as if asking what he’d expected. I was an idiot for feeling familial affection even for a moment. When all is said and done, I was just floating around on the outside alone after all.
Seongyeom let out an empty laugh, moistened his lips with his tongue, then caught his breath for a moment.
“I’d like to talk with the President.”
“He went out. He had urgent business.”
While Daerim administered the injection mixed with painkillers and antibiotics, the rain intensified again. Seongyeom bit his lips while looking toward the window.
“He said you can turn on the lights if it’s dark.”
“…Yes.”
“He also said you can take out and read books from the study if you’re bored.”
“…Yeeess.”
The answer came back half-heartedly. Daerim looked back and forth between Seoldong and Yi Cheong with a puzzled look, but the kids only smirked or shrugged their shoulders. They seemed oblivious to why Seongyeom’s mood had suddenly sunk.
Don’t tell me he’s like this just because of a background check. How will he endure worse things later?
Daerim clicked his tongue softly. He decided to leave the lovers’ quarrel for them to handle themselves. He himself was overwhelmed enough with the fight right in front of him. Daerim looked at Cheong-i. The child was silently gazing at Seongyeom.
Just as the silence was growing longer, the sky flashed white. Along with a thunderclap as if the whole world would burst, the lights that had been illuminating the room went out.
“What! I think it’s a blackout!”
Yi Cheong said in an excited voice.
“This is troublesome. I’ll go down and check.”
“……”
“Teacher…? Are you okay?”
Yi Cheong tilted his head at Seongyeom’s appearance, which seemed somewhat out of focus. Seongyeom awkwardly smiled at Cheong-i, who was making eye contact with him.
“Th, the thunder is really loud.”
“What? Teacher, did you get scared?”
Leaving the seemingly tense Seongyeom behind, Daerim hurriedly packed up the medical bag. The moment he tried to slide open the glass door, thunder roared once more and the night sky was covered in light.
“Hyak!”
Seongyeom’s shoulders shook violently and he couldn’t hold back, hugging Cheong-i’s waist.
“Ahaha! Teacher is a total scaredy-cat!”
Yi Cheong’s clear laughter echoed throughout the room. As Daerim tried to look back at Cheong-i like that, his eyes met with Seoldong’s reflected in the bedroom door.
It was a gaze full of killing intent. Within it, he saw a terrible possessiveness toward Kwon Yi Cheong. Daerim turned around and met Seoldong’s gaze.
When Daerim didn’t avoid it and stared back directly, Seoldong twitched his eyebrows and raised his chin. It meant he was confident he could fight anytime.
Daerim smacked his lips, then pointed at Seoldong with his finger and said.
“Come to think of it, Choi Seoldong. You have exams coming up soon, right?”
“?!”
Yi Cheong and Seongyeom’s gazes turned toward Seoldong. The startled Seoldong erased his swaggering gaze, returned to puppy-like eyes, and just opened and closed his mouth. Daerim, who had completely extracted Seoldong’s aggression with just one sentence, delivered the final blow.
“The Boss is really focusing on your grades this time, so do well.”
“Puhah!?”
Yi Cheong burst out laughing. Just moments ago he’d been glaring as if ready to bury someone, but Seoldong couldn’t do anything about Yi Cheong’s laughter and just whimpered like a dog. Daerim found that sight outrageous again.
“Cheong-i, you too.”
“Huh?! Why me!”
“You’re also on thin ice.”
“With what! I’m good at studying!”
Seongyeom looked back and forth at the kids on both sides, not knowing what to do. Just as he was wondering why grades suddenly came up, he straightened his back at the voice calling him.
“Seongyeom-nim?”
“Yes!”
“Please take good care of the children.”
“Ah, yes, yes… Huh?”
With those final words, Daerim left the room without regret. Seongyeom, who had been waiting for a termination notice, was flustered.
Will they wait until my body fully recovers? Then are they planning to fire me after the kids’ exam period ends?
“You son of a bitch! I got scolded because of you too!”
Seongyeom’s thoughts didn’t last long. He couldn’t focus at all because of Cheong-i trying to smack Seoldong’s head without warning and Seoldong hiding behind him.
“Teacher! Please stop Cheong-i!”
“H, hey, kids! I’m a patient!”
Seongyeom tightly gripped the blanket. With the determination to absolutely not let them see his body covered in bruises, he cried out desperately.
“Get out right now! You brats!”
***
The rain had subsided, but the air coming down the mountain range still smelled fishy. Siwon’s supercar stopped at the entrance of the underpass. As soon as the car door opened, Lee Cheon’s walker that jumped out splashed roughly through the mud as it passed. In his eyes shining with anger came the sight of a single red bike lying fallen.
“Oh Cheon…”
The bike abandoned among the bushes was the one Oh Cheon wiped down every morning. The sight of it in a mess from wind and rain, having lost its owner, was pitiful. Lee Cheon clenched his fists and looked around.
If the navigation cut off here, there must be an entrance somewhere.
“Don’t tell me you went in there, Ryu Oh Cheon.”
Lee Cheon looked into the underpass that was all darkness. It seemed to have a gloomy and unpleasant smell. Lee Cheon, who had been looking inside with narrowed eyes, soon walked into the maw of darkness without hesitation as if he’d made up his mind.
Humid air and the smell of dust stabbed his nose. Even though the environment was nothing special, his heart strangely pounded as if it would burst.
Is it because of the fear that I might lose my only blood relative?
Lee Cheon gave a self-deprecating laugh. Now? That can’t be. We’ve committed too many sins. I know well that even if heaven brings down divine punishment someday, we must accept it gracefully.
The identity of the pounding was revealed before long. When he reached the inner end of the underpass, a shrine reeking with the fishy smell of blood appeared. Under the half-pushed carpet, a suspicious entrance was visible.
So they were using a place like this as a hideout.
Lee Cheon covered his nose from the terrible smell of blood and quickly burrowed into the center of the Dogang Faction, following the path Oh Cheon had taken. After passing through a maze that seemed designed to isolate those with weak mentals, an open area appeared.
Of course these underworld bastards really love dark things.
He blinked his eyes several times to adjust to the darkness. As he slowly stepped inside while being wary of his surroundings, he suddenly discovered something suspicious.
Some black object was floating in the air. Lee Cheon, who approached closer to confirm its identity, narrowed his eyes and muttered.
“Fuck, what is that?”
It was dangling from the ceiling, endlessly pouring a viscous liquid down to the floor.
A plastic bag fluttering in the wind? A lump of dough?
“Hey…”
The facial muscles of Lee Cheon, who had been watching with narrowed eyes for a while, loosened. It wasn’t plastic, nor a lump of dough. What was tied to the ceiling and swaying was none other than his other half, the only alter ego he could entrust his back to.
“Ryu Oh Cheon…!”
It was Oh Cheon.
His condition was miserable. His limbs were raggedly bent in the opposite direction of the joints, and his beaten face was so damaged it was hard to recognize its form. The pool of blood on the floor soaked Lee Cheon’s walker.
His heart beat like crazy. Lee Cheon hurriedly examined his surroundings. The rope hanging Oh Cheon was tied to a nearby pillar. He tried to take out his knife but his hands trembled. He’d never trembled like this even when killing someone. Lee Cheon, who spread out his hand shaking as if he’d taken drugs then clenched it tightly, pulled out the knife in one motion.
When he cut the rope, Oh Cheon plummeted to the floor. Lee Cheon hung his body weight on the rope sliding at a terrifying speed. The rough nylon cord mercilessly scraped the skin of his palm and blood splattered. He held on, clenching his teeth until they were crushed.
But he quickly hit his limit. With the weight of an adult male plus the speed of the falling rope, he couldn’t hold on alone at all. Realizing that holding the rope was useless, Lee Cheon threw his body toward his younger brother plummeting to the floor. With a dull bursting sound, the two bodies tumbled entangled over the pool of blood. Lee Cheon ignored even his ribs screaming and first checked the breath of Oh Cheon who had fallen into his arms. When he put his ear to Oh Cheon’s chest, he felt a faint pulse like a dying flame.
He’s alive. He’s still alive.
Lee Cheon squeezed his eyes shut. It seemed he’d looked for God without realizing it for a moment.
“……”
The relief was brief—at the sound of footsteps coming from afar, Lee Cheon stood up with Oh Cheon behind him. Blood dripped from the palm gripping the knife. Perhaps a rib had come out while rolling on the floor earlier, as it was even hard to breathe.
Lee Cheon gripped the knife even harder to avoid losing consciousness and shouted.
“Don’t just hide, come out! Fuck, all of you come out!”
Even before Lee Cheon’s cry ended, about dozens of black shadows poured out. Every single one of them had something strange strapped to their backs or tucked under their armpits. At the very least, there were even guys who’d brought some kind of musical instruments.
Those vulgar-looking things are the weapons the Cartel authorized?
…No wonder Ryu Oh Cheon went wild without even returning.
Lee Cheon looked at his unconscious younger brother pathetically for a moment. The Dogang Faction employees surrounded Lee Cheon in layers, tightening the encirclement. Lee Cheon readjusted his grip on the knife. His bloodshot eyes shone in the darkness.
