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There was a pounding thudding in her head that only seemed to worsen the more she moved. It had taken her a couple of minutes to come to and even then she had a hard time gaining her bearings. Nari winced as a sharp groan left her lips, there was a lingering stench of chemicals that burned her nose, her vision blurred and the world looked lopsided and slanted until she blinked harshly and everything rightened.
Her breath was lodged in her throat, lips dry and pulled in between her teeth as her head dropped to her shoulder to eye her hands that were twisting and turning to no avail. Her skin began chaffing as it rubbed against the coarse and thick material of the rope binding her wrists behind her back and round the back of the chair keeping her rooted in place. Her limbs were still aching, still tired and sluggish but it didn’t stop the silent fear that pooled in her blood.
Nari’s head snapped to the side when a door opened and shut and footsteps, multiple, grew louder until a figure she had been dreaming of ruining stepped into the light, the orange hue emphasising the scar on his face.
” You guys just can’t seem to quit can you” he said as another man scampered into the room, jittery and not meeting anyone’s eyes as he placed a chair in front of her. Nari kept her gaze on him, her eyes not reflecting the slight fear in her bones as he rounded before her with a downturned curl of his lip as if this was just another mere inconvenience in his busy day to day business life.
” Why do you have to make everything so damn hard” he chided, and the chair screeched loudly in her ears as he dragged it closer to her. Nari’s mouth remained clamped shut, her eyes merely staring daggers into his as if plotting 101 ways to murder him.
” Cat suddenly got your tongue” he mocked and took a seat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and face level with hers. Her shoulders were squared, arms slightly straining but head held high. She matched his cold stare with unwavering defiance.
“Are you not going to say something? Anything? Ask why you’re here? What I’m going to do with you?” he frowned, tilting his head in curiously. ” Would it be wrong for me to say I missed you”
“Fck you” she spat out and Myeong-gil leaned back in his seat amused.
” Ah, so she does speak. I thought I may have damaged your vocal cords from how much you screamed that night” he said, and her anger grew hot under her skin. ” I’m glad to know that’s not the case.”
” You know, out of your little band of misfits, you’ve always been my favourite” he said and the grin he gave her made her want to tear his jaw from his body. It was a sickening smile reserved for her.
” There’s something different about you. You see the rest of them, they still care about morals and self righteousness but you. You Byun Nari want to skin me alive. You want me to burn for taking your precious boss and uncle away from you and you want me dead. You don’t care about all that hero shit. And that’s what I love about you. You’re not afraid to get things done.” He said and then he stood up with a clap of his hands.
“I heard about what you did to a few of my men. You really didn’t go easy on them did you” he said but he didn’t sound angry at all, more proud or impressed.ย ย ย ” They’re still in the hospital by the way. May be for a while because of your little stunt. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact you managed to subdue them that easily or the fact that I clearly can’t seem to hire men good enough to permanently take you guys down.” he tittered and then turned to her.
“You see Nari. I wish things were different with us. You would’ve been such a good asset to our team had you accepted my offer in that god forsaken cafรฉ. We could’ve been unstoppable, you would’ve been rich and maybe, just maybe they would’ve still been alive” his voice dropped at the end. He watched as she visibly shook in her seat, her eyes burning and boring into his as if hoping her glare would disintegrate him into ashes.
“You are a son of a bitch” she hissed and Myeong-gil hummed.
“I’ve been called worse” he told her.
” There’s something I need to confess though” he admitted. “Du-yeong, Tae-ho and Yang-jung were always my plan but that woman, the pregnant one, Lee Du-yeong’s wife I believe. That was all on you”
The air got sucked out of her lungs, her body stilling and her eyes rimmed red barely lifted to him as he grinned down at her. “Yes, you see I would have never known about her, Du-yeong made sure of that. I quite frankly didn’t know she even existed.” his lips upturned into a devilish grin. ” Until I saw her with you”
“What?” her words were so low and croaky and it felt as if she was being torn apart. This was a blow far worse than anything he could ever subject her to. And he knew it.ย
He nodded, none to sympathetically before her. ” I had seen you that day, baby clothes shopping. She was looking at you through the window and I must say I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy. I knew that the only way to ensure you all just stayed back would be to get rid of everyone. And I meant everyone. ”
A raggered breath left her lips, a whimper and a tear rolled down her cheek and onto the grimy floors.
“Oh, don’t cry. She was only collateral. I must say that hearing her screams and Du-yeong’s pleas did fill me with a sense of gratification I had been waiting for”
Nari lunged as far as she could, her tears falling, and a growl so deep it rattled him. Her arms were straining badly now and her wrists were rubbed raw from the tension and Myeong-gil had to lean back as she had managed to move the chair closer. The men around them went to interveneย but Myeong-gil merely raised his hand and they stopped in their step, his eyes never tearing away from Nari’s furious and heartbroken glare.
“I’m going to fcking kill you” she hissed, her voice above a mere whisper as if for his ears only.”ย I’m going to watch as you die slowly by my hand, screaming and begging. I will ensure your death be prolonged for as long as I am breathing, you will never walk out of this alive.”
Myeong-gil watched the darkness flutter onto her face, the way she was looking at him, neck strained, arms holding her back and eyes dead and red with raw hate burning within them, he knew this was no mere threat but a promise. His lips quirked and he matched her stare,
”I’m looking forward to it” he said and then stood up.
” Nothing had to go down the way it did. All you and your little group had to do was stop chasing bygones. You just couldn’t leave me alone and look at where that got you. ” his hand gestured toย her position. ” I’m glad I got you alone but, I need to send a message, one that will hopefully finally sink in. ”
Her eyes wavered as he waved in a group of men, swinging bats in their hands or crowbars, Nari couldn’t quite make it out over the pounding in her head.
” You need to realise you can’t beat me” he said. ” I hope this will finally register,”
He made his way to the door but turned to spare her one last glance. ” For what is worth Byun Nari, you were a strong girl and you should’ve known your place a long time ago. Maybe things could’ve been different”
His words lingered in the air and only when the door shut behind him did Nari lift her head to see a group of men, around 6 or 7, swarm her with weapons raised and lips upturned into sickening smiles.ย
Nari could only close her eyes as the first swing hit her ribs.ย
Well….ain’t that delightful
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