BBK Ch 4

‘Kill me then. What difference will it make?’

At that time, Minho was willing to do any physical labor he could find. It was right after he’d accidentally learned that his younger sister, who had just gone abroad to study, had collapsed from hunger after several days without food. She hadn’t wanted to ask her brother for money, so she’d been working part-time between ballet practices. For her, who was constantly dieting, to collapse meant she must have been desperately hungry and overworked.

The guilt Minho felt was immense. He’d boasted about not worrying about money and sent her abroad, only to end up burdening his only sister with poverty. So, he’d become obsessed with money. He would have gladly gone to jail if it meant earning a lot of it.

Being kidnapped and held hostage in the midst of all this wasn’t beneficial at all. One of his long-time associates had sold Minho and Jaehyuk out to a rival gang. They weren’t hostages for negotiation, but rather pawns whose lives could be used as leverage. Minho and Jaehyuk, being mid-level members, were perfect for the role.

‘Why? Are you too scared to actually kill us?’

While provoking his captors, Minho quickly thought. If he died here, his sister would definitely feel guilty. He didn’t want to add that burden to her already difficult life. Escaping was his top priority.

‘Can’t you tell? They’re chickening out,’ Jaehyuk, kneeling beside him, bound just as tightly, chimed in, further taunting their captors.

‘You fucking bastards talk too much. Want me to cut your tongues out first?’

‘Go ahead. It’s unnecessary for gangster work anyway.’

While engaging in a constant power struggle, Minho subtly rubbed his wrists together behind his back, waiting for an opening. The ropes were much looser than before, so he increased the friction. Jaehyuk seemed to notice and deliberately raised his voice, creating a distraction.

‘You can’t do it, can you? You’re too gutless.’

Just a little more, just a little.

The loosened ropes felt like they would break any second. Minho swallowed hard. Just then, a bald man abruptly turned his gaze towards them.

‘Hey, Cha Minho.’

‘…’

‘You were talking about cutting tongues, why are you so quiet now? Are you the one who’s scared?’

‘On second thought, maybe a tongue is necessary for gangster work?’

Minho tightened his muscles to hide the trembling of his upturned lips.

‘Try being honest like Minho, Jaehyuk. See how good it looks?’

‘Fuck off. Guys like me live longer, you know?’

Under the guise of their conversation, Minho surveyed his surroundings. There were about seven members of the rival gang, and broken beer bottles scattered nearby. Once the ropes were off, he’d brandish a broken bottle, threaten them, and retreat. Then, when Jaehyuk freed his hands, they’d have enough time to escape. Maybe they could even take them all down.

Rip, snap. When his wrists were finally free, Minho signaled with short breaths. Jaehyuk seemed to understand and yelled, “How long are you going to stand around? Seven of you can’t handle just two?”

‘This won’t do. Let’s gag them too.’

While the threats were exchanged, Minho quickly broke free and launched himself forward. He knocked down a standing man and grabbed the neck of a broken beer bottle, swinging it widely. Whoosh, the sharp edge sliced through the air.

Seeing the others recoil in alarm, he immediately scraped the sharp edge against the rope binding Jaehyuk’s wrists. It was somewhat effective, but the shard wasn’t strong enough. He tried to tear the half-severed rope with force, but Jaehyuk abruptly sat up.

Thinking that Jaehyuk was trying to free himself, Minho faced the other gangsters, ready to fight. He felt a surge of relief, certain they could escape. But then—

‘Ugh, kuh…’

He quickly turned at the suppressed groan. Something was deeply embedded in Jaehyuk’s side, his hands still bound behind him.

Thud, thud. The chilling sound repeated.

Minho’s and Jaehyuk’s eyes met. Jaehyuk’s trembling lips moved.

‘Run.’

The sound of someone rushing in echoed through the space.

‘What timing! Shit!’

Despite the urgent exchange, Minho couldn’t tear his gaze from Jaehyuk’s lips. “Sorry.”

Jaehyuk repeated the apology several times before forcing a smile. Blood flowed, distorting his smile grotesquely.

Thump, thump. Minho’s heart raced. The almost-severed ropes still dangled pathetically from Jaehyuk’s hands.

‘Uh, uhk!’

Minho jolted awake, his whole body trembling. He felt drained of blood.

“Ah…”

Years had passed since Jaehyuk’s death. Even though he’d left his life of violence behind and buried himself in paperwork, the nightmare still haunted him. He placed a hand on his wildly beating chest and exhaled slowly. The smell of alcohol lingered on his breath.

“…”

He glanced at the clock. Only an hour and a half had passed since he’d fallen asleep. This kind of restless sleep would only make him more tired, but once sleep eluded him, neither sex nor alcohol could bring it back.

With a hand on his forehead, Minho stared at the ceiling, breathing slowly, then sat up. Jaehyuk’s last moments kept flashing before his eyes. It was easier to focus on paperwork.

He sat at his desk and turned on his laptop. Pushing himself relentlessly was as easy as breathing. Cramming his mind with words and keeping his body moving helped him forget, to some extent. It was his way of coping, a method honed through years of a demanding life. Although dawn hadn’t broken yet, Minho’s night had ended early.

As the sun began to rise, he finished showering and checked his phone.

[Missed Calls: Viper (46)]

“Crazy bastard.”

Grimacing, he started checking his messages.

[New video of the Jjangah triplets lol. Getting their shots.]

“…Who’s Jjangah?”

Starting with a link to a puppy video he had no interest in, Gyuoh’s monologue continued throughout the night. Come to think of it, his phone had been vibrating incessantly when he woke up in a cold sweat from the nightmare.

[Gym tomorrow?]

[Photo]

[My current view lol Guess where?]

[Mugyeong’s veranda view. Told me to sleep here; amazing hospitality]

[Brought me a sandwich from the 1st floorㅡㅡ Like that’s enough?]

[Meat for lunch tomorrow]

[Don’t forget 7 am work]

As expected, it was full of meaningless chatter. Chuckling, Minho towel-dried his hair and typed a reply with one hand.

[You’re the one who shouldn’t be late]

He was about to put his phone down when he hesitated. He scrolled back through the numerous messages.

“…”

He clicked the link and played the video. Three tiny puppies waddled across the screen.

He buttoned his shirt, his eyes still on the video. He watched the puppies, so small they seemed weightless, tumble over each other, playing and chewing on toys. Meanwhile, other thoughts filled his mind.

‘Would Won Gyuoh, who spent the night on his phone, be able to get to work on time? I don’t have high hopes.’

It was a moment of respite for his mind, which had been filled with the words on documents all night.

‧₊🍒˚✮

“Minho.”

“Hey.”

“Tsk.”

Gyuoh glared at him, acting offended despite having spoken informally first.

“How many times do I have to tell you?”

“…”

Minho almost instinctively cowered at Gyuoh’s chilly tone.

“Why are you like this? Let’s focus.”

Sigh. Gyuoh ran a hand through his hair. Despite the heavy reprimand, Minho merely blinked, glancing at Gyuoh beside him.

The fact that Gyuoh had barged into his office right at 7 a.m. meant he hadn’t slept much, or hadn’t slept at all. Judging by the redness around his eyes, it was probably the latter. It was just an unspoken agreement; Minho wondered why he was taking it so seriously.

He’d lost focus for a moment, lost in thought. Gyuoh, his face scrunched up, snapped his fingers.

“You’re zoning out again.”

At the sharp rebuke, Minho rolled his dry eyes. He felt ridiculous, having even put on his glasses to watch this, but…Gyuoh had started it.

“Look. Jjangah has a spot under her eye. Is this hard to understand?”

Gyuoh referred to a patch of light brown fur amidst the white as a spot.

“…Spot.”

“Cheol-soo has white fur on the tip of his ears.”

To Minho, they all looked the same, but he nodded in agreement.

His mistake had been asking who Jjangah was when Gyuoh started playing the puppy video again upon arriving at work, demanding his attention. Gyuoh had looked at him incredulously, dragging him to the sofa to begin his lecture, complaining that Minho was asking this after seeing the video countless times.

After being subjected to this forced education, Minho was finally able to distinguish between Cheolsoo and Hooni. He still didn’t understand why he was concentrating on this so intently.

“Why are your eyes unfocused?”

“…”

“Time for a quiz?”

Just as Gyuoh threatened a surprise test, the office door burst open. Relief washed over Minho’s face. With renewed confidence that peace would be restored, the faint tension he felt dissipated. He pushed his glasses onto his head and rubbed his eyes.

“If you’re going to live here, stay put. Why do you keep crawling into other people’s houses?”

The newcomer was the owner of the house Gyuoh frequented, and also Wuwon’s managing director. Mugyeong glared at Gyuoh.

“Ah, I was told I could come.”

“By who?”

“Who else? The other homeowner.”

As predicted, the two began bickering. This was his chance. Minho quietly got up and slipped away. Back at his desk, the open documents and piles of paperwork loomed before him, but they seemed easier than distinguishing between identical-looking puppies.