ABNA Chapter 3

As the men snickered, the sound of a car exhaust began to echo in the distance. It grew louder as it approached. 

Heegyo, who had been crying so hard that tears streamed down his cheeks, across his cheekbones, past his temples, and into his ears, suddenly stopped at the sound, ears perking up.
 

‘…The police?’ 

A glimmer of hope lit in Heegyo’s eyes. He crawled forward on all fours, trying to identify the vehicle. Bright headlights cut through the darkness. But there were no flashing red and blue lights. 

Just a black car. The same black car. And his hope, now blackened…
 

The men noticed it too and began to stir. 

“Uh, uh. Hey, hey. The Young Master is here. Stand up straight.” 

They barked at the building owner, who couldn’t even stand upright when left alone, and then struck him again for no reason, making him wobble further. Some of them stood and straightened their messy clothes. Tension rippled through the group.
 

And Heegyo, who had sensed that tension even before the men did, closed his eyes. 

Young Master? Young Master, you say. 

This is despair. If they’re this scared, how terrifying must he be? And how fierce must his face be? Heegyo recalled the faces of gangsters he’d seen in dramas not long ago. Faces that looked ferocious at a glance… 

‘…Could he have one?’ 

Contrary to his instinct to hide, curiosity got the better of him. 

‘What does the Young Master look like? Does he look as scary as in dramas? Since he’s called ‘Young Master’ and not just a gangster, Heegyo was too curious about what kind of face he had.’ 

‘When else in my life would I get to see the face of a criminal organization’s Young Master?’ 

Heegyo decided to just take one look at him and then lie down again, playing dead. 

‘Yeah, if I stay low like this, I won’t be seen.’ 

The fact that he might end up actually dying and not just pretending to be dead had now been pushed aside by curiosity. 

Like the second victim in a horror movie who can’t resist taking one more peek, Heegyo looked down at the scene. 

The area below, which he peeked at with a pounding heart, was silent except for the idling engine. 

Vroom. 

Soon, the car crossed into the construction site and came to a halt. Even from afar, it was obvious that it was larger and more expensive than the other cars parked nearby. That alone proved that the Young Master was on a different level. 

Soon, the car crossed into the construction site and came to a halt. Even from afar, it was obvious that it was larger and more expensive than the other cars parked nearby. That alone proved that the Young Master was on a different level. 

One of the suited men rushed to open the door, but he was a beat too late. 

Click. 

“What? Get out of the way.” 

The man inside the car snapped, his voice sharp and cold. The insult was enough to confirm he was the Young Master. More than that, the fact that the thug who had been beating the building owner just moments ago was now bowing and apologizing made it clear.
 

The man ignored the guy and got out of the car, straightening his body. As soon as his body was fully revealed, the men in suits came forward and bowed to him in unison. 

“Have you arrived, Young Master?” 

The man waved his hand dismissively at the men who were greeting him respectfully and sauntered forward. Then, like the parting of the Red Sea, the men cleared the way for him. 

‘But. Why does he seem familiar?’ 

Heegyo, who had planned to duck away the moment he saw the man’s face, froze. It couldn’t be but the voice, the posture, the silhouette… they were all too familiar. 

‘Huh? What is it? Am I seeing things?’
 

Blink, blink. 

Heegyo’s big eyes repeatedly opened and closed. he blinked so much that his eyes hurt, but the sense of unease didn’t disappear at all. 

It felt like when you see a celebrity on TV who looks vaguely like someone you know… That itching, nagging feeling at the edge of your brain. Heegyo’s gaze followed the man’s back like a magnet.
 

“Mr. Kim.” 

As the man got closer, the kneeling building owner trembled like a leaf. Finally, the man standing in front of the bloodied building owner let out a short sigh. 

“Haa.” 

Then, without mercy— 

Thwack. 

He kicked the man with such force that Mr. Kim’s body flew back, a cloud of dust kicking up with him. 

“Ugh.”
 

The building owner gasped in pain, but the men just stood by with their hands behind their backs, their expressions unchanged.
 

And Heegyo, who was watching with wide eyes, let out a trembling sob. Whatever unease or vague recognition he’d felt earlier vanished in that brutal instant. Heegyo slowly lay back down, eyes to the ceiling, sobbing once more. 

The man was really scary. Unlike the group in suits, he was wearing casual clothes, which made him seem even more insane. 

‘Damn it… What’s so important about earphones… Do-jae, you jerk… Why did you give me earphones as a gift… Do-jae. I’m going to die like this…’ 

The sound of things breaking and what could only be described as the cries of a man being slaughtered filled the air. Heegyo curled up tighter, afraid that if he moved, he’d knock over something and give himself away. . 

“Haa, Mr. Kim.” 

“Ugh… Ugh…” 

The answer that came back wasn’t an answer, but just a lump of groans coming from his throat. 

“Why do you steal other people’s things, you son of a bitch.” 

“Ugh… Ugh…” 

Again, the sound of fists, groans… and Heegyo’s silent tears falling.
 

A stereotypical mindset doesn’t survive in a competitive society. It just degenerates and withers. So, in order to survive this situation, Heegyo forced himself to change his way of thinking. 

‘Ahem. I guess he shouldn’t have stolen it. I mean, stealing is bad. Mr. Kim was in the wrong.’ 

He tried to place the blame on Mr. Kim, who was currently being beaten to a pulp, rather than on Do-jae, who had gifted him the headset that started all this… but it didn’t last long.
 

‘Send me home. I want to go home. I want to lie on my clean house floor that Do-jae worked hard to clean, not on this cold and dirty construction floor.’ 

It was around that time that Heegyo, who was desperately calling for his beloved home in his heart, stopped crying. 

“Y-Young Master. S-Spare me… I. I was wrong…” 

“Then why did you do wrong? Mr. Kim keeps pulling this kind of crap, so I start thinking, ‘Oh, he wants to be hit,’ and then my hands just go. Huh? Isn’t that right?” 

Huh? Isn’t that right? 

The man asked as if he were coaxing a child. 

“…Huh?” 

That sweet, gentle tone made Heegyo freeze. Mid-sob, he stopped. That phrase…he’d heard it before. 

His soaked eyelashes trembled. Not just his lashes, his ears twitched too. Heegyo forgot everything about the danger around him as he tried to place the voice and the way it spoke. The unease that had been simmering earlier surged back with clarity. 

Where did I hear that? 

〈So. Why Did you do wrong?. Huh? Isn’t that right? It would be nice if we went together.〉 

A hazy memory rose to the surface. A blurry image. A voice. Something familiar, gentle, caring etched deep into his brain.
 

Even though the man’s tone now carried menace, Heegyo could still hear the faint echoes of that old voice layered underneath. 

The realization started to eclipse his fear. As the terror dimmed, only one question remained. 

Ah! What is it? 

Heegyo had a feeling no, a certainty that he had to figure this out. That if he missed this chance, he’d regret it forever. 

‘Ah! What is it!’ 

‘Just a little more. I’ll understand if I look a little more.’ 

With that thought, he lowered his eyes to the scene below.
 

“Y-Young Master. Please, please.” 

The building owner looked at the man with eyes that were so swollen from being beaten that they couldn’t even open properly. Then, he pitifully begged the man with both hands. 

“Sob. Y-Young Master. I, I didn’t mean to do that.” 

“What didn’t you mean to do?” 

“_Sob_… Y-Young Master. I…I didn’t mean to! I really didn’t! Please, just this once… If you let me go this once, I’ll be loyal to you forever. Young Master, I… please not like this, like this, I’ll beg you.”
 

The building owner cried and sobbed, even shedding tears and snot, begging to be spared. But the man steadily stepped on the building owner’s body, who was begging desperately. 

“Ugh. Ugh…” 

The building owner groaned as the man’s weight began to gradually increase. 

“Mr. Kim. You’ve always liked buildings, haven’t you? So I was thinking… maybe I should make you part of one. What do you think?”
 

At that moment, his head moved. 

In that instant, Heegyo felt like time was slowing down. The man turned his face towards Heegyo. Very, very slowly. 

And the moment his head turned this way, Heegyo remembered where he had heard those familiar words. 

A scene flashed through his mind like lightning. 

〈Hyung. So. Why Did you do wrong? Huh? Isn’t that right? It would be nice if we went together.〉 

That image—Do-jae, teeth clenched, drenched in sweat, trying to comfort him as he sobbed uncontrollably. 

That voice. That warmth. That gentleness. 

And now, the man standing below, splattered in blood… 

Do-jae…? 

“……” 

Uh…? 

Something was wrong. 

Very, very wrong.