F | Chapter 2

“Run! Hurry up and run! Damn! Look at that mess! Wahaha—”

Amidst bursts of laughter, an old, worn-out four-wheeled motorcycle circled around a pile of garbage. Behind it, a boy tied to a rope was being dragged along. The boy was gasping for breath, barely keeping up with the motorcycle’s speed.

“Help me! Help me, ugh—!”

The motorcycle kept dragging the boy even after he tripped over a stone, and the men sitting around whistled and cheered.

“Idiot, haha—”

“His pants are coming off! Pants! Hahaha—”

The boy’s pants were dragged off, exposing his pale behind to the world. Just then, something flew towards the motorcycle’s driver. Moments later, with a thud, the driver screamed and slammed his face into the handlebars.

“Ah—! Who the hell did that!”

The men all turned around. Someone appeared on top of the garbage pile, and the boy tied to the motorcycle cried out.

“Ireya!”

The man called Ire tossed a stone up and caught it as he slowly descended. With his long gray hair tied loosely, everyone tensed up. The big guy in front pulled out a knife from his waist and sneered.

“Damn, who do we have here? A hybrid?”

As if on cue, knives were drawn from all around, and Ire stopped at a distance. The stone continued to hover in the air, landing back in his hand repeatedly. Despite his smiling face, his gray-blue eyes gleamed intensely beneath his eyelids.

“I told you not to mess with our kids.”

“Our kids? Are you that brat’s dad or something?”

Ire clicked his tongue.

“That’s not what I meant. What I mean is….”

Ire’s eyes drifted upward. He couldn’t find the right words. As he struggled to explain his relationship with the boy lying pathetically on the ground, a knife suddenly flew towards him. Ire twisted his body lightly to dodge it and hit the big guy’s forehead with the stone he was holding.

With a crack, the big guy fell backward, blood gushing from his forehead. As the others flinched and stepped back, Ire chuckled, hands in his pockets.

“I was going to answer your question, but why are you in such a hurry?”

As he casually walked past them, the big guy got up and yelled.

“What are you doing, guys! Get him!”

As the group charged like a pack of dogs, Ire turned and kicked the dirt on the ground. The guy in the lead quickly covered his face with his arm, sneering.

You think I’ll fall for that trick!

As he lifted his head, a foot appeared before his eyes, striking his face and sending him flying. Ugh! The others turned pale as he collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

Ire gestured towards the fallen guy.

“Take him and don’t come back to our zone.”

“…”

“Are your ears blocked? I said get lost.”

They were from Zone B-4, and this was the border between Zone B-3 and B-4. There were occasional clashes here, and each time, they ended up getting beaten by Ire. Yet, they kept coming back because of the garbage pile. Sometimes, useful items were found there.

Among them were perverts who collected women’s underwear, and the guy lying with his butt exposed was one of those perverts.

Ire approached the boy. Realizing the others were gone, the boy cursed and struggled.

“Bastards! Don’t ever come here again! This is my zone, got it? Why were you so late? Hurry up and untie me…”

Ire looked down at the boy, smirking at his pants and underwear pulled down to his thighs. Or rather, at what was exposed outside his pants.

“Where are you looking! Just untie me already. What? That smirk? You laughed at my junk, didn’t you?”

Instead of untying him, Ire squatted down and held out his hand.

“What…? Why are you holding out your hand? Want a kiss?”

“You know why.”

“Ha, come on. Are we that kind of relationship? Aren’t we like family? Why charge family?”

“I charge.”

“…”

“No money? Fine, then.”

As Ire turned to leave without hesitation, the boy grabbed his pant leg. “You crazy jerk. Fine! I’ll pay you! Just untie me first. I’ll give it to you at home.” Only after pleading did Ire sit down to untie him.

Once freed, the boy quickly pulled up his pants, grumbling about how heartless Ire was. His arms and legs were scraped and bleeding, and his face was a mess of bruises.

“Look at my face. It’s totally messed up, right?”

“It was ugly before you got hit. Get lost.”

“Jerk.”

Ire walked ahead, and the boy followed, blowing on his bleeding arm.

“How did you know I was here? You weren’t waiting for me to get caught and suffer just to get money, were you? I believe you’re not that trashy. Huh? Why aren’t you answering, you jerk? Hey, Mikael!”

Suddenly, Ire pushed the boy’s head down, hiding them both in the garbage pile. Soon, the ground rumbled, and the sound of an engine approached. Peeking out, they saw a large military truck pass by.

The boy muttered to himself as he watched.

“What the… Soldiers… What are they doing here?”

“They’re probably heading to Zone C.”

“Why there?”

“There was a big explosion yesterday.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t know.”

The boy squinted at Ire’s shameless attitude.

“You don’t know… Did you sneak around there again? Why do you do that? Are you dying to get into a place full of criminals? Did you forget what Sister Agape said? Mikael. Live a good life. Never do bad things.”

Ire covered the boy’s mouth. Footsteps approached. Come to think of it, the car noise had stopped too. As he squeezed his eyes shut, a click sounded, and a gun muzzle was pointed at them.

“Come out.”

They raised their hands to shoulder height and slowly stood up. The soldier, half his face covered, frowned fiercely. Then a voice called from afar.

“What’s going on?”

“There are rats hiding here!”

The boy chuckled nervously, trying to explain.

“R-rats, we’re not rats, we’re just here—”

“Shut up!” Whack— The butt of the gun flew at him, and the boy clenched his jaw to keep his teeth from flying out. Today is the day my face gets smashed. But he felt no pain. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw Ire holding the gun butt with one hand, facing off with the soldier.

The boy, pale, shouted.

“I’m sorry! He’s not usually like this! Well, he is, but that’s not the point, Ire! Let go, you idiot!”

The soldier shook off Ire’s hand and quickly aimed the gun.

“You bastards!”

Just when it seemed like the gun would fire, someone intervened. “Enough.” A tall man appeared, his body seemingly made of steel, his eyes sharp as daggers. Ire’s gaze fell on the mark on the man’s left chest and then moved away. The man pushed the gun aside with the back of his hand and checked Ire and the boy alternately.

“Where are you from?”

Ire spoke calmly.

“Zone B-3…”

The man gestured behind him, and another soldier approached with a small device. Ire and the boy knew exactly what it was. They pulled out their citizen IDs from their back pockets, and the man scanned them, displaying their photos and details on the screen.

“Twenty, huh. A prime age for hot-bloodedness.”

The man’s gaze lingered on Ire’s hair before shifting to his subordinate.

“Let them go.”

“But—”

The soldier trying to speak quickly shut his mouth. “Yes, sir.” He then roughly pushed Ire and the boy forward. After confirming his superior had left, the soldier lowered his black mask. A scar, as if burned by a cigarette, was sunken into one side of his cheek.

“Hey, rats. Especially you, hybrid. Don’t ever let me see you again. Next time, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

The man threatened them before turning back the way he came. Watching the vehicle leave, the boy clutched his chest and sank to the ground. Then, as if suddenly angry, he flipped the bird at the disappearing truck.

“Damn! Why come all the way here and act like that, you bastards!”

“Dogs are at least cute.”

Ire muttered, and the boy agreed. How could they compare those guys to mere dogs? But even saying that, most people living in Zone B would envy them. At least they didn’t have to worry about daily survival.

“Are they Special Forces?”

“Probably.”

Special Forces were said to be selected from only a few soldiers. They often passed through here, presumably heading to Zone C. If I follow them, could I enter Zone C too? Maybe the medicine I’m looking for is there.

Just then, the boy, who had been babbling, clapped his hands.

“Oh, did I tell you? The Bearded Guy wants to give you a job.”

“For me?”

The Bearded Guy was a well-known thug in Zone B-3. He got his nickname because he was literally covered in hair. Moreover, he was indiscriminate about his interests, and a couple of years ago, he tried to hit on Ire and got beaten up badly.

Feeling uneasy, Ire was about to refuse when the boy rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, indicating good pay.

“It’s nothing big. You just have to keep watch.”

“…”

“You said you needed money, right?”

When Ire stayed silent, the boy draped an arm over his shoulder. Since he was shorter, it was more like hanging on him.

“It’s not doing anything bad, just keeping watch. It’s much better than squeezing money out of me.”

After a long silence, Ire looked at the boy.

“Where do I need to go?”