"You think this is some kind of game? Some little stunt you'll just shrug off? Look at that blood on the floor."
He turned his gaze towards the security officer.
And gasped, choked, sobbing. "No... no... I- no... that can't-"
"He's got someone waiting for him. His kids, maybe his family. His life, his hopes and dreams, all of it. And he might have gotten himself killed by someone who doesn't have anything to lose and certainly nothing to gain."
I slid his own knife up his neck, the flat side cold against his flesh. Perhaps I was going a little too far. This wasn't the favelas; the repercussions of killing someone here wouldn't be a simple cover-up.
He whimpered. It's brutal when you have literal nostalgia over it, like a taste on the tongue.
You can tell yourself it's just adrenaline and anger, but there's no point. Deep down, you know exactly why your hands don't tremble, your heart rate doesn't increase, and why your breathing remains smooth.
Because you've been there before. You've done this. It feels good, having this much control. Over life and death, no matter the life, or the situation.
It reminded me way too much of the vindictive satisfaction I got from destroying the man behind my mother's death. Him and everyone involved.
But I wasn't Jair anymore, this kind of life didn't suit me anymore, so why...
Why was my body still remembering the old rhythm, the old feeling?
I pressed the knife just enough that he would be able to feel the cold metal on his neck. It felt like a game of roulette. Would the blade bite, and spill his life in front of all these people?
My hold didn't tighten, instead...
"You're lucky." I told him, my voice low. "I have too much to lose."
I glanced back at Mia, who, for the first time had a look of semi horror in her eyes as she watched, her lips slightly apart and eyes locked on me. I slipped into autopilot, my body moving without any conscious direction from me.
The mall's PA blared. "All guests please calmly leave the building and make their way to the closest emergency exit. We repeat: please exit the building in an orderly fashion."
Sirens sounded outside the mall.
Help was coming, and the threat was subdued.
I slammed his head against a display case and dropped him to the ground like a ragdoll, just to be sure the guy was completely incapacitated. The moment the threat was neutralized, the switch was turned off. The adrenaline left me all at once. I didn't give him another glance as he crumpled, his head slamming against a display case. It'd leave a mark. But, it was better than the knife ending his life.
"Are you alright?" A feminine, panicked voice, said. Her breathing was quick and irregular. I turned towards the female store clerk, who was still too scared to approach. Still, she mustered the courage to walk up to me, at least. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
I shook my head. "What was that even about? Do you really know him?" I asked, eyes fixed on the guy groveling on the floor.
"Ah, yes." She gulped, her lips trembling. Her legs were shaking, but I suspected that was from the rush of it all. "He's... well, it sounds stupid now, in hindsight. A regular customer. Always came with a bouquet, bought gifts, asked me out... I-I've always said no. Then he began stalking me. I got calls from unknown numbers at all times, saw him waiting for me outside of my door, in my car, and it didn't matter if I drove around, he would find me in whatever restaurant, club, cafe or shop I went to..."
"..." I stared at the concussed bastard on the floor and kicked the knife from his hand's reach.
"I've had my share of admirers but..." She continued, hugging herself. "He... he's been very aggressive lately."
I ignored the rambling clerk and made a beeline for the security guard. He was slouched over on his knees. Blood oozing and his skin becoming increasingly paler every breath he took. He looked up at me pleadingly. He opened his mouth to try and speak, but I placed my finger up to stop him.
"Don't talk." I ordered in a firm tone. The security officer had already lost enough strength and blood to be barely able to keep himself from keeling over. He was wheezing, staining the tiled floor a bright crimson. He didn't say a word as he watched me. "Here." I ripped a chunk of his uniform and wrapped it tightly around the wound. The stain slowly seeped through the fabric. I tied it tighter to help staunch the flow. I had done a million similar treatments before, both to myself and others.
I did what I could do, given the circumstances.
"You're lucky, sir. He missed all your vitals."
He breathed a little deeper and tried to smile. The poor bastard still didn't move an inch. His expression was still pained, and a little bit lost, like he wasn't entirely sure what was going on, or how to process it, but he wasn't dead, and he was conscious.
"Stay with me." I muttered, pressing down harder on the shirt, forcing the blood to clot against pressure. "Don't close your eyes. Look at me."
I leaned closer, keeping my voice steady, calm, the way my old instructor taught me back in the camp. Your tone keeps them alive as much as your hands do.
His gaze flicked toward mine, unfocused, but at least he was trying.
"Good. That's it. You've got a nice strong heartbeat fighting in there. Just hang on."
Sirens wailed closer, red light bleeding against the glass storefront. Help was seconds away, but seconds stretched forever when someone was circling the drain.
"Clerk—" I snapped my fingers once to get her attention. She startled, eyes wide, hugging herself like she might shatter. "Snap out of it. You—come here. Put your hand right there." I guided her trembling palm over the wad of fabric. She hesitated, but when she felt the warmth of the blood seep through, something shifted in her expression. Fear turned into focus.
"Hold it firm. Don't let go until someone in uniform tells you to."
"B-but I don't—I don't know how to do this. What happens if—"
"Not important. Just hold tight until the paramedics take over." My eyes moved between his chest, his neck, his face. Pulse was a touch sluggish but steady, no fluid in the lungs or the airways. "Keep him awake and breathing. You can do it." Then, I stood. "I'll get out of your hair."
"Wait, don't just—" She glanced towards me. Then, towards the guy laying down a couple meters away from me. "We should... at least tell the authorities how you helped. You shouldn't go—"
"I'll just be another nuisance in the paperwork and report if I stay." I gave her my back. I caught a flash of gold blonde in my peripheral. Mia. She was still where I left her. But her face— there was something written on there, but I didn't know how to read it, nor did I want to, for some reason.
She followed me, grabbing hold of my sleeve and sticking close to me, but still, not uttering a single word.
What was there to say?
We walked past the entrance doors and exited the mall, brushing past the sea of curious people that had stopped to gawk.
Their voices and whispers became a dull murmur of noise that we could ignore and easily drown out.
xXx
Mia's POV:
She watched Jae-il wash the blood off his hands in a public bathroom sink. A deep, dark, crimson red swirled away in a spiral pattern down the drain, and it seemed almost like it would go on forever until the water finally ran clear.
He looked so... nonchalant, completely unperturbed by the whole ordeal. Even after the adrenaline wore off and the rush subsided, he still remained a stoic, impassive image of calmness. Then, once he was done, he even checked himself in the mirror and fixed his slightly disheveled hair.
She gawked at him.
He continued, totally unbothered.
"Hey, can we..." She swallowed the rest of her words down her throat. Her hands fidgeted together in a fitful manner. "Are we just going to brush that aside and continue like nothing happened?"
"Mm." He seemed to acknowledge her words with a grunt. "Well... you wanna skip lunch and call it a day?"
"Skip... skip lunch? You..." Mia shook her head. "You have no qualms with what happened? I mean... you could have died! He could have easily stabbed you..."
"Yeah, he could." He turned around, his eyes fixed on Mia's face. "But you were behind me, Noona, and I couldn't have you hurt because some crazed idiot wanted to make a spectacle of his 'love life'. I didn't want you to get caught up in the middle of whatever that situation was. And I didn't really think much of the danger at the moment." There was a long, stretching silence, where she could've said anything in reply, but her brain went blank.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
Her face was flushed.
And... her fingers reached out and pulled his collar.
His eyes widened in alarm when he saw her lips, so rosy and glossy from whatever lipgloss or balm she used, inches away from touching his own lips. God, she really wanted to. She really wanted a taste of it. One second. Even less than that would've been enough.
But the alarmed widening of his eyes was enough to tell her that it'd have been an incredibly stupid idea. He barely batted an eye when facing someone wielding a knife, but was caught off-guard when she moved to kiss him.
Seriously…
So she aimed a little to the side. The softness, the feel, of his lips grazing her own, as she kissed his cheeks.
"..." She breathed, lips still against his skin. She was shaking. It was subtle, barely visible, but there. She pressed further into it, and lingered for longer than was usual, a real kiss, a true act of affection and devotion, rather than just a familial habit.
This... wasn't normal.
Right? It couldn't be. Normal siblings weren't supposed to... to be this way. Right? Her mind went over and over it. It was wrong, sick, perverted. It was a mistake, a fluke, some mental breakdown...
She let go.
Unbeknownst to her, was that Jae-il actually had anticipated a true one. For a moment he had fully, mentally, emotionally, physically prepared himself for the forbidden contact.
It was a growing seed within him, and what'd stem from it was certainly not a beautiful flower. He was aware of that, as aware of how his body had begun to, slowly and inexorably, react to his own sister of all people.
The contrasting emotions made him freeze on the spot.
He didn't seem to react.
He didn't move a single facial muscle.
Then, her arms found their way around his waist. Her embrace wasn't too strong or overwhelming, just enough that she was there.
"Thanks, dummy." She said in a low, warm voice, full of gratitude, mirth and relief. "That was... kinda scary. So let me just stay like this, alright? Just for a little bit."
"..."
"...Aren't you going to hold me?"
"...You want me to?"
"...Idiot."
"Alright, alright. Don't be like that. We're in a bathroom, you know."
"Who cares."
"...Right."
A/N: Got over 30 advanced chapters on P@/nneeil. Like ReplyReport Reactions:SquirtleTurtle, IAVL, Ciolekovsky20 and 113 othersNneeilSep 22, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 41: That's Not How You Eat a Hotdog New View contentNneeilKnow what you're doing yet?Sep 22, 2025Add bookmark#134Chapter 41: That's Not How You Eat a Hotdog
Mia's POV:
They sat outside, by the curb. She was quiet, not in the sense that she had no energy to talk or didn't feel like talking, but rather, there wasn't really a reason to say anything. She stared at Jae-il, who was in turn, scrolling down on his phone to check what the news were reporting. Apparently, this whole ordeal was on the front page.
For a boy that'd saved two girls, defeated the culprit without even a scratch on him, and treated a man's injury like a well-learned paramedic, he looked downright nonchalant and unfazed.
It wasn't that strange. She had always seen Jae-il as this mysterious entity that defied any sort of logic she'd known about. And, while this whole situation wasn't the strangest thing about her brother, she was forced to wonder and consider it.
His expression remained calm.
He held a can of monster in one hand, sipping quietly. Was that his second one today?
The mall was a mess, with police tape everywhere, and everyone milling about with questions, talking about the event. And the one responsible for the situation sat right there beside her. His body was relaxed, one leg tucked beneath his other that laid on the floor.
"It doesn't say much about the actual situation, though." He muttered as he scrolled.
"You said we shouldn't be too surprised, right? That it'd turn out like this?"
Jae-il glanced at Mia. "Yeah. I know the general formula that is usually applied to cases like these." He replied.
"Formula?" She echoed, tilting her head.
Jae-il sipped from the can again before answering. "Stories like this always get stripped down to headlines. 'Hero saves clerk and security guard from stalker in mall incident.' That's it. No context, no nuance. The guy's history, the reasons behind his behavior—none of that matters. The public doesn't want complexity. They just want a clear villain and a clean resolution."
Mia leaned forward, studying Jae-il's profile in the afternoon sun. She reached out, brushing an errant strand of hair away from his forehead. "So, what now? What's our headline? Hero sits on sidewalk with a white monster, talks philosophy of the human condition, stares blankly at a screen?" She offered him a small smile.
He chuckled, suddenly self-conscious of the drink in his hand. With a shrug, he offered it to her. "Here. Join me in the moral quagmire."
She took it and their fingers briefly touched. Mia brought the can to her lips, savoring the taste. "Delicious moral ambiguity." She grinned and handed him back his beverage, and in turn, he just sighed, then shrugged again.
"Not quite how we planned today to go, huh?" Mia commented after another beat of silence. She leaned back, sighing, staring into the distance. "Seriously, though. I can't believe someone would do that. Stabbing an old man, trying to kill someone for... for love. It's so fucked up."
He glanced at her. "You're not wrong. Love's supposed to be all flowers and roses and gentle hugs and rainbows. And most of the time, it is. But it can turn dark fast, twist itself and twist others. Wanting someone so much that they ignore their well-being. They have their hearts and minds bent out of shape until they can't recognize who they've become. They consume themselves from the inside out. And everyone around them as well."
She shivered and crossed her legs, hugging them. Her hands felt clammy. "I hope it never comes to that." She responded, then shivered. She felt goosebumps and an eerie feeling running down her spine. She knew that Jae-il's words weren't directed towards her. They were a general statement. It didn't change the fact that his gaze made her look down at her knees. "That... someone's love would turn this rotten." She looked up. "Is it just me, or are you also starving? Come on, let's go somewhere and have some lunch. We've spent way too long here and it's getting really boring."
He didn't say anything for a moment. He took a long sip of his monster, long enough that he finished the can. Crumpling it, he stood up, dusted his pants, and offered his hand. His face softened, and that half smile appeared. "Sure, sis. Let's get you something good." His tone changed, light and breezy again.
She grinned, taking his hand and letting him pull her up with an easy swing.
His hands were so large that his palm swallowed hers. It was warm, safe. She didn't want to let it go, as she squeezed their entwined hands and smiled brighter, looking up into his eyes and feeling, not for the first time, the sheer magnetism between them.
Just this...
It felt...
...
xXx
Jae-il's POV:
The mall was out of question. I didn't want to potentially deal with attention from any of the authorities that might've still lingered around there.
Mia's stomach had let out the most violent rumble as a reminder of how long it'd been since we'd actually had breakfast. She coughed into her hand, cracking an eye open to see if I heard it.
I smirked. "It wasn't my stomach that rumbled that much."
"It was." She said with a deadpan voice.
"It wasn't."
"You were hungry, too. It wasn't me." She crossed her arms under her chest, puffing her chest out, looking at me as if daring me to contradict that.
"Uhuh, I'm not so sure."
"No, dummy, your ears must not work properly." She retorted. "There. Now my tummy isn't hungry at all, and that noise is gone, so it obviously wasn't coming from there." Her tone turned petulantly childish, like a kid that wanted to show her sibling how she was much better, despite not making a whole lot of sense.
I stared at her. "Wow." Then I cracked the tiniest, barely even noticeable grin. "Do I need to get you a hearing aid too?"
She punched my shoulder.
Mia narrowed her eyes. "Don't make fun of a lady, dummy."
"A lady, I don't see a lady—ow, ow! Okay, okay, let me correct that: a lady with no shame." That comment got me another, but this time softer, hit.
She was laughing as she was doing this. There was a certain kind of charm in seeing her act so... juvenile? No, she was just a bit too impish for that word to suit her right now.
We continued walking in the general direction of the food stalls and booths, where she finally settled on buying a simple, street vendor hot dog.
The smell wafting through the air made her almost salivate at the first sniff. On the other hand, I got myself something healthier, a simple sandwich with turkey ham and lettuce. I had to make do, and we weren't at the fanciest part of town. She didn't seem to mind though.
The hot dogs themselves were large, girthy. The kind that could fill one person with a meal in just a few bites.
"Thank you~" Mia sang after I paid for both of us.
We took a seat somewhere secluded, just out of the main flow of people. The little bench was half in the shade, half in the sun, and the smell of fried onions and grilled meat hung thick in the air.
I unwrapped my sandwich and took a slow bite.
Mia, on the other hand, cradled her hot dog like it was something sacred. The thing was oversized, messy, dripping with toppings. She shot me a look that made the corner of her mouth twitch.
"Wow." She said, almost singing it. "That looks so… plain. Turkey and lettuce? Really?"
I raised a brow. "It's called balance. You might try it sometime."
Her smirk sharpened. "Balance is overrated." She leaned closer, eyes flicking to the absurd length of her food. "Besides… this is way more fun."
"..."
I was about to focus on my food, when—
Mia lifted the hot dog, opening her mouth wider than I expected and bit into the tip with deliberate slowness. The soft bread and sausage sank between her lips, mustard and ketchup staining the corner of her mouth.
She must've caught me looking, because her eyes gleamed. "Hmm, lil' bro. It's so good, honestly." Without a word, she opened her mouth wide and shoved half the damn thing in at once—bread, sausage, toppings, everything. Her lips stretched around it, cheeks hollowing, and not a single gag.
I blinked.
Hard.
She pulled back slowly, ketchup smeared at the corner of her mouth, a string of melted cheese clinging until she licked it away with an obscene little swipe of her tongue. It stuck out like a lonely, pink tendril, scooping up everything that hadn't made it into her cute, little mouth. "Mmm…" She hummed, no, more like moaned, as if she'd just devoured something sinful. "Want a taste?"
"No." I replied. "I don't."
Mia didn't drop her smirk.
She was giving it way more flair and sensuality than it had any right to receive.
But if she wanted me to lose my appetite, well, she wasn't gonna succeed. I wasn't gonna give her the satisfaction.
Instead of watching her eat, I just stared right into her eyes, unflinchingly and with the utmost calmness.
And so she resumed eating.
She chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed, wiping her lips delicately. "So..." Her voice was low and suggestive as she tilted her head. "Was I too distracting to let you eat, hm, Jae-il?"
"Why, was that your plan, Noona?" I asked, taking another bite. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
She snickered, shaking her head, then shrugged, licking the remains off the hot dog and looking up at me through long, curled lashes.
Something inside me jolted. My chest tightened, my pulse stumbling, enough to tell me that my worst fears were slowly turning out to be real. A tangible sensation that I couldn't push down or explain away, like a tight, twisting knot that formed at the pit of my stomach.
A flutter, an instinct, an undeniable sense. An annoying reminder. A warning, something to tell me that whatever it was, it had to be stopped. It had to stop.
Mia's tongue poked out of the gap between those luscious, plump lips, her eyes meeting mine every time she took a sensual bite.
I gritted my teeth as Mia's tongue swept all over her lips to clean all the condiments, the cheese, and mustard off. I stood up sharply, enough to nearly rattle the table, and forcefully grabbed her cheeks, making the soft flesh squish and comically deform against my fingers. "Noona, please, eat properly." With a napkin, I proceeded to wipe everything that distracted me off.
Yes, that's it. A clean Mia is an innocent Mia, and one that's easier to ignore and not take seriously.
"...Ah." She seemed stunned, not moving a single facial muscle, just looking at me as she did when I roughly grabbed her cheeks, but... there was a furious blush spreading all over her face, almost down to the base of her neck.
Dreams Aren't an Escape
We didn't say much as we finished eating. But Mia kept smiling in this strangely shy way, stealing looks at me with her lips pressed together tightly whenever she thought I wasn't paying attention to her.
My thoughts wandered.
Mia's eyes shone bright. "Thanks."
I was silent.
"For... well. The day." She clarified, scratching her cheek, a sign that showed her nervousness, as if her smile didn't make it obvious.
"No problem, Noona. I enjoyed it myself." And that wasn't even a lie.
"Mhm."
I wondered if we were both thinking about the same things.
Mia bit her lip and reached into her purse, fishing around and pulling out a tube of lip balm. The scent of strawberries wafted in the air between us. I wasn't surprised.
Her eyes darted up at mine for just a brief second before focusing back on her task. Applying a thin, shiny coat of the stuff with her ring finger. Her lips shined.
I waited, watching. The pink tip of her tongue flicking out to taste it.
The image, combined with the earlier sight, made me increasingly conscious of every breath and heartbeat.
What would it taste like, to kiss her now? Sweet, tart strawberries on her soft mouth? It was an intrusive thought that made me hate myself, for just a split second.
She capped her tube of lip gloss with a satisfied smile and looked up, her expression expectant, almost eager for praise.
"Let's go." I wasn't in the mood for it, so I picked our stuff and gestured to her to stand up, so we could leave this place as soon as possible. She nodded and we left the place in relative peace and quiet.
"So... no movie?" She pouted as we walked.
"Not in the mood."
I didn't bother elaborating on that, just continued to stare at the path ahead.
"Mmm... it's fine, we can watch it next time, can't we?"
And then she smiled. A full, beaming grin.
Next time? Of course, to Mia, it wouldn't make sense to do this just once. She now had the excuse to hang around as much as she wanted—in lieu of the fact that one day she might regret not doing as much right now.
And now, my mind began conjuring images and possibilities and potential dangers to come along.
But, for some reason, it was more on the positive side of the spectrum. As if I'd already made my decision on my subconscious, but couldn't process the conscious choice properly.
This couldn't happen, I knew. But, in a twisted way, a dark, almost sinisterly enticing way, it might have to happen, one way or another, and I couldn't tell whether the excitement in my stomach was anticipation or fear. "Maybe." I muttered. It was safe. It didn't promise anything.
I had to get my head in the game; couldn't be sidetracked like this. Not like this.
She gave a small nod and smiled again.
The rest of the trip passed quickly as Mia talked about the last season of a TV series she'd watched. Something I couldn't care less about. She talked anyway, knowing it wouldn't change a single thing.
Still, I couldn't be that annoyed. And it was nice, this strange, peaceful feeling, knowing that we'd had each other's backs in a literal sense, and that she wanted to spend more time with me.
I've never had this in my previous life. Not something so... gentle. It felt soft and sweet.
Maybe that's what I was trying to protect. That innocence.
The afternoon was a lazy one, sunlit and warm.
I looked up.
We were finally back home.
"You're listening, aren't you?" Mia had been droning on and on for at least thirty minutes straight and the words began to jumble into meaningless sound in the end. I gave her the best 'yeah' I could manage without actually lying and opened the front door. I took off my shoes.
She did too.
"I'll go take a nap." I muttered. I needed my brain to shut the hell up. I climbed the first step and—
Su Ah blocked my path, not voluntarily of course. She blinked, first in surprise and recognition, then her eyes alternated between me and Mia.
"You two have been out?"
Mia nodded, humming, as she climbed past me. She stretched, a look of satisfaction on her face. "Yeah. We were together."
She raised an eyebrow. "Almost all day?"
"Yes."
"Surprising..." Su Ah looked down for a moment, as if contemplating something. I didn't know what she could possibly be thinking that would require her to furrow her brow and make her eyes seem that intense. "There was an accident at the mall today, did you...?"
"Yes, we were there. Saw everything." Mia replied, still stretching, making damn sure her assets were high and on display for me. I didn't focus on that. Instead, I chose Su Ah's serious expression, which was far more compelling. "Though, if you want a more detailed overview, just ask our lil' brother, hm? He was there to make things right."
I sighed. "Noona—"
Mia gave a mischievous little grin, like a gremlin, and scuttled off to her room with quick, light steps.
Su Ah, with her back turned towards her older sister, hadn't caught that expression. "I'm curious, could you elaborate on that, Jae-il?"
"It wasn't much. Nothing to do a report about, seriously. Just happened to be the right guy at the right time." My voice was firm as I shrugged and stepped up on the next stair. "So, if you'll excuse me." Once I had more of a higher ground, I ruffled her hair.
"Wha—Hey! You're messing it all up!" Su Ah cried, almost in outrage. She pouted as her hand quickly tried to fix her hair from the mess that I've reduced it to. It didn't really change anything and she huffed.
She tried to glare at me in that semi-annoying way. Her attempts were cute, but hardly effective.
I walked away, up the stairs.
xXx
My life felt like a dream, sometimes. Maybe it was because it was so damn peaceful, yet so... weird. The way everything seemed to fit into place and yet felt utterly bizarre, the way my family was, in some aspects, so completely unlike any family I've ever experienced in my life. Then, the memories of my past self.
But, there was some normalcy within the insanity. I didn't question the reality of it, just accepted the odd bits as facts, like puzzle pieces. Perhaps it was the whole situation with Mia that made me a bit more aware of it, that my life wasn't as normal as I might've wished. Or at least, not 'normal' in a conventional sense.
I lay down in my bed, just as confused as before, if not more so, about my own head. My own life and the shit that went along with it.
With that thought in mind, I closed my eyes, hoping that sleep would fix my problems. It didn't.
Dreams weren't an escape for me.
...
I saw a memory.
A glaring sun. An orange-tinted, hazy sky, like the horizon on fire.
A young boy stared up at me, his face covered in bruises and blood dripping down the corner of his mouth.
His chest heaved under the weight of fear. A plastic bag clung to his skin, fogging with each shallow breath.
"Where is Rafael Costa?" My voice was calm, like I'd asked him the time of day.
Certainly his time of the day, since his life was hanging by a breath.
The boy shook his head, trembling, fingers twitching against the rope that bound him to the chair. His eyes screamed louder than his throat ever could.
I slipped the bag up for just a second. Enough air to taste life again. Enough to make him believe it was still his choice.
"You're young." I said, and some part of me actually meant it. It wasn't the first time I saw someone so young getting mixed up in this shitstorm. Shouldn't kids aspire to be football players, maybe doctors or lawyers? What the fuck is wrong with this place? "You don't need to die for him. So, tell me. Where is he?"
Silence. The boy's jaw clenched, bloodied lips pressing shut.
I slipped the bag down again. His breath came frantic, shallow. The sound of plastic sucking against his skin filled the room, louder than his muffled cries. I counted in my head. One, two, three—at ten, I pulled it back up.
He gasped like a fish on land.
That smell. Sweat, blood, piss. I had grown used to it, had smelled far worse.
"You think he cares about you?" I leaned in, close enough that my words could crawl into his ear. "Costa's probably drinking right now. Laughing while some chick's sucking him off. You're nothing to him. So why protect him? He's a walking dead man. You know that we'll get to him. We always do. You can be free. You just have to tell us."
The boy shivered, eyes darting, searching for something in me. Mercy, maybe. I had none to give. My mother's face burned behind my eyelids. Her body crumpled on the street, not even a target, just fucking collateral. Just fucking collateral. Costa's bullets had carved a hole into my world, and the boy in front of me was just a lock to be picked.
I was going to destroy Costa's world, and anyone who helped him build it.
I pressed the bag down again. Longer this time. His legs kicked. Chair scraped. He coughed and gurgled. My pulse never wavered. I wasn't angry, not anymore. Anger had burned out months ago, replaced by something colder.
When I pulled it up again, his lips moved before his lungs could catch up.
"Rua… Rua das Palmeiras…" He gasped. "Safehouse. Please…"
I stared into his wide, terrified eyes. The truth always came out. It was just a matter of time and air.
"Good boy." I muttered, standing straight, and ruffling his sweaty hair. "You did good. Very good." I smiled.
The boy's chest heaved, thin shoulders jerking with each sob. The words were out now, spilled like blood.
Rua das Palmeiras. A safehouse.
I stood back, watching him. My part was done.
The soldiers outside shifted in the hallway, boots heavy against the concrete floor. I gave a quick nod. One of them cut the rope loose.
The boy collapsed forward, coughing, clutching his ribs. For a second, he just stayed there on his knees, gulping air like it would never be enough. Then he looked up at me—eyes red, full of hate and terror both—and scrambled toward the door.
I knew before he moved what he was going to do. Rats always run. Straight to whoever they think can save them.
I drew my sidearm.
Bang.
A sharp crack. His body hit the ground before he reached the threshold, face pressed into the dirty concrete. One neat hole in the back of his head.
He twitched once, then stilled.
I lowered the weapon. Silence settled in.
"Loose ends." I muttered. To myself, to the men outside, maybe even to the ghost of my mother. If she had been watching over me, I could only hope she would have understood. Loose ends and nothing else. In the Favelas, ties always got burned, and lives always hung in the balance. The kid would've either returned to a cartel's employ, gotten killed for the mistake he's committed, or be living the rest of his short life knowing the fact that his name, his family, his entire identity was registered as a 'mole' in Costa's cartel.
There were no good choices, there never had been. Not for a kid from the slums, where even life wasn't a right, just an eventual inevitability, something to fight for until you could do so no longer.
"Dreams are hard to come by in the favelas..." I said, one last time, as I stared at the kid's dead eyes. "They're supposed to be sweet and peaceful, an oasis in a hell. A break from the constant heat and violence, the smells and the tastes, the blood and the rot..." I chuckled, shaking my head.
I've done enough introspections for an entire day. I had to focus. It was only a matter of days, at most, before the information the kid provided was rendered useless.
A/N: Please consider supporting me on P@/nneeil. Got over 30 advanced chapters over there and illustrations as well ^^
Chapter 43: You're a Bad Person, Oppa
I woke up. I wasn't startled awake, or covered in a sheen layer of sweat. The dream wasn't violent enough, or the memories, too real, to disturb me to that point.
I laid there in bed, thinking, processing, analyzing everything. Then I decided that having those memories haunt me outside of a dream wouldn't do me any good whatsoever. I got up, brushed my teeth, showered, and got dressed. I figured I'd take a stroll outside. Clear my head a bit. Walk around the block, maybe buy a drink, or two, somewhere in the night.
I looked at the clock. 2.30 AM. Well, no harm in it. I knew I wouldn't be sleeping properly again, at the very least, for the remainder of the night.
Perhaps I could even go get some football training done at the nearest pitch.
As I left my room, and began walking down the corridor of the upper floor of the house, I saw that Su Ah's bedroom door was open a tiny crack, letting out a small beam of light into the otherwise pitch blackness that enveloped the hall.
As I passed by, I heard the recognizable and continuous tapping of a keyboard, along with thoughtful hums and noises.
Su Ah seemed to be writing. It was nothing too strange.
As for Mia's room, well I didn't hover around her room long enough to find out.
I made a quick stop by the garage, grabbed one of the dozens of balls I had, and made my way out. The evening breeze had a cold, nipping chill, which meant it was at that perfect, breezy temperature, but a touch colder, making the walk feel crisp and clean, which was quite the pleasant surprise considering how the the days had been.
I wished I had a car; I'd have hit the motorway while blasting music, or even just cruising along with the windows down, the stereo turned low.
While humming a tune, I let the ball drop to my feet, and began juggling while walking, balancing the ball between my feet in a one, two pattern and repeating it. As I walked, the streetlight illuminated the path with an ethereal glow.
The whole world seemed silent and slow.
I just continued, not looking where my legs carried me.
It wasn't long until I turned a corner and—
"Eeek!"
Someone slammed into me.
The ball dropped, rolling away.
My eyes snapped wide, as my hands, without my brain fully registering it yet, had reached to grab hold of their body and prevent them from hitting the pavement. My fingers firmly sunk into soft, pale flesh, before I instinctively pulled them towards me, making sure they weren't unbalanced when I eventually let go of them. "Are you... okay?" I trailed off, blinking in surprise. "Dae Hee?"
"Uh, oh, Jae-il Oppa?" Dae Hee blinked in equal fashion. Surprise shone in her brown eyes. "S-Sorry, I wasn't looking. You're out late too, huh?"
My eyes drifted over her, assessing her in an instant.
Dae Hee was dressed casually. A tank top that barely looked strong enough for her endowment to not pop it out, and a pair of tight, dolphin shorts that might as well have not been there.
I tilted my head, feeling like something was not quite right, but couldn't tell what exactly it was.
"Yeah." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sleep clearly isn't on my schedule anymore. What about you?"
She laughed awkwardly, looking away, a soft blush on her cheeks.
Her arms moved to cradle her bosom. "I, uh—"
"Wait, actually, don't answer that. Sorry, I didn't mean to ask. It's not my place to do so."
"No, I... It's fine." Dae Hee replied, shaking her head. Her voice had the soft quality of a girl trying not to let her words carry in the silent street. "I kind of had an argument with Go Bin. I guess... it just wasn't my day. I was taking my usual jog around the block."
Her usual jog? I arched an eyebrow. She wasn't sweaty, unless she had just begun.
"Ah, right." I didn't prod further.
There was an awkward pause between us.
"So, um..."
"Right, well, it was a nice coincidence seeing you again after some time, Dae Hee. Take care and, uh, don't stay outside for too long at this time of the night." I gave her a soft smile as I moved to pick my dear ball up. Poor baby was left there on its lonesome. I gently rolled her between my legs, then lifted it back to my hand. It fit comfortably within my palms.
"Oppa?"
I raised an eyebrow, giving her a 'hm?', not bothering turning my back to face her, already in the motion of walking away. She just seemed so bashful and unsure.
"Um..." She trailed off. There was something strange and almost wistful in her expression. Like she had something on her mind but was unsure whether she should speak it out loud. "Do you… I don't feel comfortable being on my own, do you mind if... I keep you company? If it isn't too much to ask of course."
"Are you afraid you'll be kidnapped or something?" I joked.
"No, nothing like that. I'm more concerned that... the people on this part of the town, some of them have been known to, you know—" Dae Hee bit her lip. She gestured with a vague sort of wave, trying to indicate a situation I knew she wasn't ready to verbalise. "They're the type of people that do 'bad' stuff."
"Bad stuff?" I frowned. "What kind of bad stuff?" Why have I never heard of it?
"Well..." She leaned in, hands balled into fists and an expression of pure determination and focus on her face. It would have been adorable in a normal setting. Her whisper came in a single breath. "I'm talking about, you know... sex."
"Sex..." I repeated, incredulously. My jaw dropped slightly. "Right..." Then, the absurdity of the situation, or perhaps simply the way that Dae Hee had said that, made a smile tug at the corners of my mouth and my chest shake with silent laughter.
"What? What's so funny?" Dae Hee pouted. She crossed her arms under her chest, making them jiggle.
"Nothing, nothing. Nevermind. I apologize, I think a fly found itself a home within my nose. You're not going to do... 'sex', are you?"
"Obviously no."
"Well, good to have the facts straight." I chuckled and turned my eyes towards her. She was a good half-a-head shorter than me. "Then you're welcome to tag along. Though I will probably do some football practice as well, if that's something that would bore you."
Dae Hee tilted her head, lips tugging into a shy, small smile. "No, no! I wouldn't be bored with such a thing! That would actually be wonderful!"
"Good, then. Follow along." With a small shrug, we set off together. Dae Hee kept pace beside me, her stride shorter to match mine.
I glanced at Dae Hee from the corner of my eye.
For the entirety of our walk, I had the impression that Dae Hee, who was now staring at me and smiling in an all-too-familiar way, was still musing about what to say to spark up the conversation. In her own weird way, I could almost feel a twinge of nervous energy coming from the girl. Thankfully, the pitch was within sight, and the tension didn't have to stretch on for any more prolonged period of awkwardness.
"It's closed, Oppa." Dae Hee pointed out. Her eyes had the kind of innocent, yet blunt stare, that told me she wanted to point it out, but not at all to stop whatever I intended to do. She was just making sure that we were both on the same page. The page, being 'the gate was locked shut'.
"Yes." I agreed, nodding solemnly. "It is indeed closed, as you observed."
She nodded, then tilted her head, as I began moving.
She followed suit.
We walked around the back, where one part of the fence, behind a bush, was actually wrenched open, in an almost crude manner. It wasn't so wide, but there was more than enough space for the both of us to fit in at the same time. Dae Hee sucked in a breath and her eyes lit up, but didn't voice anything, almost too shocked at the action of trespassing to even utter a word. "I come here every time. No one really gives a damn, and it's not as if there's any type of security system whatsoever. It's perfect for what it is."
We crossed to the other side.
"Isn't... isn't this illegal?" Dae Hee's voice came out as an almost whisper, and I couldn't tell if she was amused or scared. Perhaps an adorable combination of both.
"You don't need to worry. Just consider it as a grey area."
I could see her eyes going wide, and I couldn't help the small grin that spread across my lips. "So... you do this often?"
"Not as often as I used to, but on rare occasions, yes."
Dae Hee gave me a sidelong look. Her eyes lingered on me. "Hmm. You're a bad person, Oppa."
I raised a brow. "You think so?"
"Yeah, a bad, bad, boy. No good, no respect, just pure... hooliganism." She spoke in a tone that was more like someone reading off a recipe card. A bit deadpan, monotone even. There was no fire behind it.
"Ah, right. My darkest sin."
I moved further in the pitch, rolling the ball between my feet. After running around a bit, I stopped to stare at Dae Hee who stood where I left her. She was shifting uncomfortably on her heels, fidgeting and glancing between the ground and my general vicinity, her long hair framing her face. She looked way too awkward standing there, like a pole, and just as useless as one.
I sighed.
"Come here, Dae Hee, let's see if I can't teach you some of these basic football skills."
A/N: Please consider supporting me on P@/nneeil. Got over 30 advanced chapters over there and illustrations as well ^^