Array
(
[text] =>
______________________
Nari could feel her blood almost still in her body when they arrived at the harbour. Night had blanketed Pohang, the stars shimmering a little more brightly than usual and if Nari listened closely, she could hear the crashing of waves on the shore.
Tension had never felt thinker and it was almost as if there was a large firm object lodged in her throat she couldn’t swallow, a feeling like finality. Everything had led up to this moment. It had been written since she had watched the blood pool from her mother’s skull, and it continued until that blood collected a few more debts. All their sacrifices, their tears, their laughs, their sorrows had all led them here- on a huge cargo ship sailing further and farther away from shore until the final light disappeared beneath the horizon.
The four of them stood side by side, a blanket of darkness around them but a hope burning in their chest. A kind-hearted resolute boxer, a comic loyal marine, a fiery determined granddaughter and a vengeful spirited woman, all bound by loyalty and revenge. A family.
Hyeon-ju tucked the taser gun in her jacket, twirling the baton in her other hand, her shoulders shrugged in anticipation. She glanced to Woo-jin who shook out his hands and rolled his neck. He glanced at his friend who was tightening the bandage wrap around his hands, weaving it between his fingers until they were secured. Geon-woo glanced at his girlfriend who did the same, only with a pair of gloves instead. Her eyes narrowed on the empty vastness, ready and unyielding. She glanced up at him and nodded, he did the same.
“Come back to me” he said, be careful, it implied.
“Always” she would return.
They split. Nari and Hyeon-ju to the left, Woo-jin underground and Geon-woo right.
The two women weaved through the large storage containers, wincing at every loud noise and tensing at any unexpected shadows that would flutter past.
Hyeon-ju froze at the sound of something shatter and a low curse come from their left. She halted Nari who turned, brows pinched and Hyeon-ju gestured for her to listen. Nari heard the low and strained grumbled and gave the woman a swift nod. Her fingers flexed in anticipation, a feeling like eagerness thrummed her veins while they stealthily made their way to a compartment.
Light blinded them for a second before their eyes adjusted to a room, the door slung wide open. Her eyes twitched when she saw the unpleasant and familiar figure of Kim Jun-min swearing, through choked breaths. The bandage around his throat peeled at the edges, his glasses nearly falling off his nose as he tried to step over the fallen glass that was shattered by his feet. He cussed again and went to grab his phone until he noticed something move from the corner of his eye.
He looked up, startled, and fear sent his heart to skip a beat. His blood cooled like ice until he realised there was nothing but empty storage containers ahead of him. He chuckled lamely, chiding himself for being so stupid and he barely glanced back down to toe one shard of glass before he was suddenly pushed into the wall, the frame that hang loosely crashed to the floor.
His eyes rounded, eyebrows shooting to his forehead in shock as the breath was knocked clean from his lungs.
“Shit” he croaked when he noticed the two women before him.
Nari’s lips upturned into a sinister grin. “Shit indeed”
“How did you-” his voice betrayed him as Nari stepped forward towards him, the glass crunching beneath her boots. Her fingers wrapped around the material of his shirt, and he was suddenly airborne before his legs gave way and he was sent sprawling to the ground with a groan, pieces of glass embedding into his skin.
“You’re asking the wrong questions” Nari corrected and Hyeon-ju took out the taser gun causing his eyes to widen even further.
” What the hell do you want?” he gritted out and he tried to stand but Nari’s boot careened into his jaw. His head whipped to the side violently and his glasses flew from his face and landed somewhere he could not see. His eyes watered, jaw bursting with pain and his neck burned- his cry came out broken.
“Surely you’re smarter than that?” Nari chided; she noticed a kitchen knife on the counter, long and sharp and intimidating. A smirk befell on her lips as her eyes flickered to Jun-min who winced when he tenderly touched his jaw.
“Well, this could go two ways” she said, picking up the blade, she twirled it by the handle, her pointer finger resting on the tip of the blade before squatting before him. Nari lifted the knife and Jun-min went to strike but Hyeon-ju grabbed his hands, place it back onto the floor and pressed her foot down on it. He let out a sharp hiss.
“That, would’ve led you to option three” she said gesturing to his failed attempt at defence.
“What?” he muttered with a pained breath. Nari tapped his jaw with the blade. He leaned out of reach.
“That move would’ve resulted in you being thrown overboard and left to fend off the sharks” Nari explained and her face turned into a mock pout. ” I’m glad that’s out the window” she gestured to his hand which was being crushed by Hyeon-ju’s heel “I’d feel bad for the sharks”
“You bit-”
“Ah ah ah” Nari tsked. “No need to be vulgar. You’re not in charge anymore and you won’t ever be again” she said. “So, why don’t we get off that high horse. The game’s changed, so let’s get back to it shall we”
She smiled, a dark smile that held no pity. ” There’s only two roads for you Jun-min” she told him, watching with slight joy at the anger and fear in his eyes. “Road one, I use this knife, and I finish what Lee Du-yeong failed to do” the knife dragged slowly across his neck. He inhaled sharply, eyes wide and neck lifted in hopes to try and get as far away from the blade as possible but Nari was holding him down. Hyeon-ju had a grip on his hand and her knee was digging into his spine more than the glass penetrating his skin. ” I see you didn’t manage to stay dead. Which is fine honestly. It means I get to personally see that you do a second time” she grinned and then stood up. His sigh of relief was audible.
“Or, road 2. I let Hyeon-ju do whatever the hell she wants with you.” His eyes darted to said woman who waved the taser gun and baton in her hand. ” You see, you and Myeong-gil, you guys don’t deserve to live after everything you did. What you’d continue to do even in another country. ” she said, placing the knife back onto the table. “I made a promise, that I was going to stop you. This is me fulfilling it” she then glanced at her friend. “But you’re not my fight. Your boss is. And Hyeon-ju deserve this.”
She glanced down at the quivering man when realisation dawned on his features. ” Did you really think you’d have a choice Kim Jun-min? You had your chance, you made your choices, now see them through.” She made her way to the door and the pressure on his hand grew more forceful. He screamed until a crack reverberated throughout the room.
” It ends here” she derided and then she turned on her heel and left the room. She tuned out his shrill scream and the sound of electricity buzzing. Nari didn’t try fighting the quirk in her lips. She would leave Jun-min to Hyeon-ju’s discretion, the woman deserved it after all she’d lost and there was nothing like the sound of justice being served.
But it was her turn now.
She would not let Myeong-gil leave the ship alive.ย
The way it’s almost over ๐โ๏ธ
[text_hash] => a88e03ad
)