LFD | Chapter 0

Creak, creak.

Drip, drip, drip.

By the time the steady sounds seeped into his ears, He felt his entire body tighten. It was as if something was digging into his skin, cutting off his circulation. The suffocating pressure on his chest made it hard to breathe.

Ugh… I can’t breathe.

His shoulders, waist, and legs were bound, and his arms were tied behind his back, leaving me unable to move. Worse, his feet had gone numb from the lack of blood flow, the tips of his toes icy and devoid of sensation.

The scent of dirt and dust filled his nose…or was it the nauseating stench of gasoline?

As his consciousness slowly returned, a throbbing pain pulsed at the back of my head. Yoongyeon winced as agony spread through his body.

Haa… Why does my head hurt so much? Why am I so dizzy?

Being suspended mid-air, swaying helplessly, was unbearable.

“Keep stirring. Don’t let it clump.”

At the sound of a familiar man’s voice, Yoongyeon’s eyes flew open. The thick, sloshing noise he’d heard earlier was coming from below him. A man was mixing something. Cement.

“U-Ugh, aaaah!”

The moment Yoongyeon saw it, he thrashed violently. The ropes shook wildly from his movements, making his dizziness worse.

“P-Please! Let me go—Cough!”

“Ah… So damn noisy.”

The man standing nearby glanced up at Yoongyeon. His struggling had spun the ropes, twisting his body in circles. As his surroundings came into focus, his fear only grew.

“P-Please spare me! Cough!”

“Tch, fucking hell. You’re making me dizzy. Hey! Hold him.”

The man jerked his chin toward the guy mixing cement. Only then did Yoongyeon’s spinning stop. But the rope suspending him was so tangled that if they let go, he’d start spinning again.

“Hyungnim, if I let go, he’ll just spin again.”

“…Untangle him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man grabbed Yoongyeon and twisted him. The rotation was even faster than when he’d struggled on his own.

“AAAAH! UGH! I-I’m gonna throw up—Cough!”

Yoongyeon’s screams only stopped once the tangled rope was undone and his body finally stilled.

Exhausted, his body slumped downward. It felt like riding a 360-degree roller coaster a hundred times in a row. Unidentifiable liquid, whether sweat or something else, dripped from his body onto the floor. His gaze blankly followed the dark stains he’d left beneath him.

“It’s hardening. Keep stirring.”

“Yes, sir.”

One of the men nearby stepped closer to Yoongyeon, but he didn’t even have the strength to look at him. His breaths came in ragged gasps. As his dizziness faded, the nauseating smell of gasoline assaulted him again.

Slowly rolling his eyes to scan his surroundings, he realized this was likely the abandoned factory the man had once threatened him with.

“Our family’s little dog, Yoongyeon.”

The man’s voice was playful, almost sing-song.

Yoongyeon scowled. He had no idea what the man wanted from him now. Then he processed the words and their meaning. His glare sharpened as he turned his head toward the man.

“Don’t… call me that.”

“Pour more cement.”

“Yes, sir.”

At the man’s order, another worker dumped a heap of cement powder into the half-filled drum. Dust billowed into the air, making the man stirring it curse.

“Why the hell would you dump it all at once?!”

“How was I supposed to know?!”

As the two bickered, cement powder and dust clogged Yoongyeon’s nose.

“Cough, cough!“

The man waved his hand in front of his face, dispersing the dust. After a few swipes, the haze cleared, and he spoke again.

“Our family’s dog. Yoon. Gyeon.”

This time, his voice was sharp, devoid of melody. Yoongyeon swallowed hard, dangling limply before answering in a small voice.

“…Woof woof?”

Only then did the man’s face break into a smile. In contrast, the two cement-mixers and the other men nearby desperately stifled their laughter.

Yoongyeon burned with humiliation, his ears turning red. At this point, being buried in cement sounded preferable.

“Pup.”

“…Yes?”

“Did you enjoy your walk?”

“……”

The man’s gentle tone only made Yoongyeon more afraid. He trembled, unable to meet his gaze. Today, he was sure, he’d finally be buried by his hands. No, he’d be sealed in a drum full of cement and dumped into the ocean.

Of course, if the man had wanted him dead, he’d had plenty of chances before now. But the fact that he was still alive suggested he wouldn’t be killed today, either. Still, the thought didn’t comfort him. After all, he was still hanging mid-air.

The man stepped closer to Yoongyeon’s pitiful, tear-streaked face and lifted his chin.

“When your owner asks you a question, you answer.”

“…I’m sorry.”

He tried to sound remorseful, but his voice held no sincerity. Still, he had to say it if he wanted to live. Suspended in the air, his limbs numb from lack of blood flow, he studied the man’s expression.

“The boys worked hard to catch you this time.”

“……”

“Yeah, you little shit. You know how hard it was for hyungnim and everyone because of you?”

The man stirring the cement suddenly slammed his shovel into the mixture, veins bulging in his arms.

“I’m doing this shit myself just to drown you! You should be honored!”

The man, grinning crookedly, handed the shovel to another worker nearby.

“I’m sorry……”

Yoongyeon’s voice was utterly defeated. As he bowed his head, the man released his chin and pulled out a cigarette.

“Pup. You still not giving up?”

“……”

“Be honest. I’ll forgive you if you tell the truth. You ran away on purpose, didn’t you? So you could owe me even more money?”

The man lit the cigarette and took a deep drag before exhaling smoke into Yoongyeon’s face. Yoongyeon wrinkled his nose and turned his head slightly, unsure how to answer.

If I’m honest, will he really spare me? If I’m going to die anyway, shouldn’t I just tell the truth? But what if he kills me because he doesn’t like my answer? Either way, I’m dead, right?!

The man smirked, as if he could hear Yoongyeon’s frantic thoughts. He scratched his forehead with the hand holding the cigarette and smiled.

“Dumb mutt. I can hear the gears turning in your head from here.”

“…I ran because I didn’t think I could pay you back.”

The man burst out laughing. The others joined in, but Yoongyeon was the only one who couldn’t find humor in the situation.

The man took another drag, exhaled slowly, and seemed to ponder for a moment.

Silence stretched. Yoongyeon was terrified of what his fate would be. This time, it felt like the man wouldn’t let him off so easily. But the pain from the tightly wound ropes forced him to push those thoughts aside.

“Um… Hyungnim, if you’re not going to kill me… Could you let me down…?”

A cold gaze locked onto him. The man took another drag, the cigarette now burned down to the filter. Yoongyeon shivered under his stare.

“It… really hurts……?”

“…Hah.”

The man let out a dry laugh, amused that Yoongyeon had the audacity to ask to be let down when he didn’t even know if he’d live. He flicked the cigarette butt into the drum.

Seeing the butt land where he might soon be submerged, Yoongyeon panicked.

“I was wrong! I was wrong, hyungnim! I won’t do it again!”

“Now you say that?”

“Really! I swear, I won’t!”

Just moments ago, he’d been defiant, now he was flailing like a caught fish. Desperate, Yoongyeon doubled down.

“I mean it! Hyungnim! Joo Dojae, Hyungnim! Aah, sob! Spare me!”

Dojae only laughed harder the more pitiful Yoongyeon sounded. At this point, Yoongyeon had no other choice. Begging was the only way.

This wasn’t his first time learning this lesson. Every time he’d been caught after running away, he’d realized if he groveled hard enough, Dojae would let him live.

“Sob, huu, hic… I won’t do it again! I won’t run! Spare me!”

By the end, he was crying loudly, using informal speech. Dojae stroked his chin, still laughing, then gave a small nod.

“You’re not a dog, you’re a damn fox.”

As if seeing right through him, Dojae muttered under his breath. Seeing his expression soften slightly, Yoongyeon relaxed. It seemed he wouldn’t die today.

But then—

“If it’s mixed enough, dunk him and dump him where no one will find him.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Dojae’s cold command, the man pulled the shovel from the cement and pushed the drum right under Yoongyeon’s chin. He adjusted its position, dragging it along the floor.

“Hyungnim! Sir! Hyung! Please! Spare me! I was wrong! Aaah! I don’t want to die!”

Dojae only smiled as Yoongyeon screamed loud enough to make his ears bleed. The man finished positioning the drum and moved toward the rope’s anchor point.

“Hyungnim! Hyuuuung! S-Spare me! I won’t run! I’ll stay by your side forever! Even if you tell me to leave, I won’t! Spare me!”

Yoongyeon’s final plea was a desperate shriek. Dojae watched him, still smiling, but said nothing. The man reached the rope and untied it.

Clank.

The pulley rattled as it moved. Yoongyeon’s body plummeted downward.

“I mean it! I swear! If I run again, I’m a damn dog! I won’t do it! Hyung, spare me!”

Whether moved by his desperation or simply amused, Dojae raised his hand.

The man stopped lowering the rope. Yoongyeon’s face hovered just above the wet cement. Even craning his neck as far as he could, his chin brushed the mixture.

“Hic… Spare… me.”

“Pup.”

“Hic… Y-Yes?”

Straining to keep his head up, his voice wavered. Breathing was difficult. If he lowered his head even slightly, his face would plunge into the cement. Yoongyeon mustered all his strength, raising his head stiffly.

“You promised.”

“Hic… Yes.”

“If you pull another ‘walk’ and disappear again, I’ll kill you in a way that hurts worse than pouring concrete over you.”

“Ugh… Y-Yes.”

Yoongyeon answered quickly, before Dojae could change his mind. After a moment, Dojae flicked his fingers. Several men grabbed the rope, and another moved the drum away.

Then, they let go.

Thud!

Yoongyeon crashed to the ground, coughing as dust flew up. He squeezed his eyes shut. Dojae crouched in front of him, adjusting his suit pants, and sighed.

“I feed you, let you sleep in my bed, spoil you. So why do you keep trying to run?”

“Cough, cough… Ugh.”

Dojae clicked his tongue at Yoongyeon, curled up in pain. A worker stepped forward and cut the remaining ropes with a knife.

Once freed, Dojae stood. Yoongyeon also rose, peeling off the last of the ropes. He watched Dojae’s back, took a deep breath and suddenly bolted.

Not even five minutes after swearing he’d never do it again, he was running.

But Dojae, as if expecting it, stuck out his leg.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Yoongyeon tripped and face-planted. Dojae looked down at him in the cloud of dust.

“Is that little head of yours just for decoration?”

At the cold tone, Yoongyeon sat up, rubbing his bruised knee with an awkward smile.

“I-I just wanted to get to your place faster……”