TMWCL Prologue

When it rains, the smells become worse, and our senses become more sensitive.

The world soaked in rain took on a darker color than usual. The inside of the building was filled with sounds of pounding, tearing, shouting, and groaning. The noises roamed throughout the building, unable to travel far due to the rain.

The cold smell of concrete in the unfinished building was strong. It wasn’t just the concrete. The smell of blood, cigarette smoke, and even the smell of urine released due to fear permeated the air.

It was a terrible season.

“Hyung-nim.”

“Shut up.”

Rainwater and blood mixed together in a puddle near the gaping wall that had no window. Veins bulged on the man’s forearm as he tried to staunch the bleeding of the other man’s stomach. The wound had been torn apart so badly that no matter how hard he tried to stop it, the blood continued to seep out.

“We… were supposed to meet in a few days. At Hawon-dong.”

“Meet who?”

“You know. My daughter.”

“I didn’t hear about it. I told you to shut up.”

“…Please do me this favor.”

The man was on the lucky side since he was able to live long enough to leave his final words. Blood suddenly burst out from between the subordinate’s teeth. His pupils suddenly grew cloudy. His eyes groped around the air, but they could not see anything.

“Ha.”

The surviving man leaned against the wall of the unfinished building. His well-toned upper body was covered in someone else’s blood. The shirt he had taken off was stained dark red as it stuck to the lower abdomen of the man lying on the floor.

He stopped trying to halt the bleeding of the dead man and picked up the suit jacket that was lying around nearby. He took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the inside pocket. While he was pulling out the pack of cigarettes, a photo fell out. He picked it up and saw that it belonged to the subordinate who had just died.

“They don’t look alike at all.”

The man who checked the photo pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth before lighting it.

Click, cliiiick, chhh.

The surroundings were drenched in bright red light as the sun began to set. Soon, it was plunged into darkness, and only the burning tip of the cigarette was visible. The man slowly exhaled the smoke. The casualties rolled on the floor. The smell of damp concrete and all sorts of other stenches dispersed as the smell of cigarette smoke covered every other smell.

After a while, a commotion rang out from below.