Hyunjin
A group of eight, armed men stand in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Seoul. It is night-time and it is raining heavily, the sound of the rain falling on rusty roofs and drumming on the sills of old, dirty windows filling the air. Inside, old fluorescent lights flicker dimly, revealing tired walls and the watchful eyes of a rival gang.
With the Kang brothers and Jiwook behind me on one side of the room, I stand thoughtfully watching Kim, my competitor, who is standing with his hands in his coat alongside his three loyal cronies. Min-jae and Jung are bodyguards and personal security guards, like my Kang brothers. The last member of his team is a young, nervous man, whom I have never seen before, which makes me suspicious. He's a weak link.
The air is thick with moisture, mingled with the odours of rusty iron and old oil. I take a final drag of my cigarette, flick it onto the ground and crush it out with the heel of my shoe.
„Do you have the goods?" Kim Hyeon asks calmly, his voice irritating me. I narrow my eyes, wondering, who gave him the impression, that he is leading this meeting. It seems, he is a little bit confused about the roles.
„I ask the questions. Do you have the weapons?" I meet his gaze, without answering his question. He freezes.
Hyeon nods at a young man, who nervously approaches the rickety table and opens one of the boxes. The weapons inside glint with a metallic sheen in the dim light.
I signal to Jiwook to check the weapons. I want to make sure, that the goods I am buying are worth the drugs I intend to give to Hyeon in exchange.
I watch the young man pull the gun out of the box, his hands trembling as he briefly describes it's features to Jiwook. Too quickly and uncertainly, in my opinion. I don't like the way he handles the gun. From what he says, I get the impression, that he doesn't know, how to use it properly. The young man struggles with the gun, when the magazine release catch jams.
How could Kim entrust this job to someone so innocent? Jiwook turns to us and gives the twins a ridiculous smirk. I know exactly, what's going through his mind. This kid is clumsy. Unfortunately, that's not all, that went through his mind.
A shot rings out and everyone freezes. A few drops of hot, fresh blood land on my face as the young man drops the gun in shock. Jiwook falls to the ground, the bullet has hit him right between the eyes. I stand silent, my gaze fixed on Jiwook's lifeless body.
The only sound in the room is the heavy breathing of the young man, who has just killed one of my personal guards.
I take a handkerchief out of my suit pocket and use it to wipe my face.
„That was a mistake," I tell the young man, my words cutting through the silence like a knife. He runs his trembling hands through his hair, looks at me with a frightened expression and begins to apologize.
„I..I'm sorry, it was an accident. I...I didn't mean to, the safety catch failed." He stammers out his apology.
„I know," I reply curtly. Without warning, I pull out my gun and shoot the young man in the knee. He cries out in pain, collapsing to the ground and clutching his leg as tears stream from his eyes. I tear my gaze away from him, when I hear the hammer being cocked. Then another.
Hyeon tries to calm Jung, who has a gun pointed at me. Meanwhile, Janil and Hanil are pointing their guns at Jung. The question is, who will shoot first. If Jung shoots, the brothers will too. More people will die.
„It was a mistake!" Kim shouts, trying to persuade Jung to lower his gun.
„I know, it was an accident. But even so, I lost one of my best bodyguards because of it. This accident won't bring Jiwook back. And why the fuck was that gun loaded?" I clench my fists and grit my teeth, trying to control my anger. I feel like putting a bullet in all of their heads. Jiwook was family.
„What about our agreement?" Kim presses me.
„I've decided, not to do a deal with you. I think that's understandable, given how the situation has developed." Kim Hyeon slumps his shoulders in resignation. I didn't even imagine the situation would turn out this way either. He waves to his two men, who start to leave.
„Wait a minute." I stop him and point to the young man on the ground, who is whimpering. „Are you going to finish this, or should I?"
„Go ahead," he replies after a moment, while Min-jae and Jung repack the goods into the boxes. He knows there is no other option — we cannot leave any witnesses behind.
„Wait! It was an accident! Please!" I move closer to him and point my gun at his body, again. For a moment, I consider whether to let him suffer or end his life quickly and painlessly.
„P-please." He gasps. I pull the trigger with an exhalation. Finally, there is silence. I look up at Kim, who nods politely before disappearing with his cronies.
„Clean it up," I tell the brothers, waving my hand towards Jiwook's body. I really want to start killing, but I can't bring myself to do it. One loss is too much. My phone vibrates in my pocket. It's Taeju calling. I answer the call.
„What is it?" I ask rudely, still angry, about what happened here.
„Someone has just arrived at Mr. Jo's house." I completely forgot about Mr. Jo — I was supposed to visit him today to collect the debt he owes me. I look at my watch — I gave him much more than twenty-four hours!
„We're on our way. Don't let that person leave under any circumstances." It's time to take back what is rightfully mine!
... ༺༻ ...
BLOOD DEBT (피의 빚)