Hyunjin
I get out of the car, fasten my red jacket and adjust my tie. If there's will be any blood today, at least it won't stain on my clothes. I'll take the Kang brothers with me. Taeju and Jiwook will be waiting by the cars. They'll lean against the bonnet and light cigarettes, their presence will be a warning.
Hanil and Janil accompany me to the door, of a shabby old house in this backwater, where it seems as if time has stood still. The surrounding streets are dirty and cluttered with torn posters. The air smells of rot or faeces. With every step I take, it sounds like I'm inviting disaster. My gaze falls on a dirty, dusty window where a shadow flickers quickly, immediately followed by the curtains moving. Mr. Jo already knows about us. Knowing my power, I'm convinced he won't have the courage to run, he knows he'd be signing his own warrant.
I knock and wait. Nothing.
„Mr. Jo?" I call out, knowing he's probably standing behind the door, listening and pretending he's not home. „I know you're home. It's in your best interest to open the fucking door." I knock loudly again and there's a startled yelp from the other side of the door. The door swings open to reveal an elderly man, with black hair, dark circles under his eyes, and a tired look on his face. His face shows the terror I know so well. He looks as if he wants to bow to me, but instead he just stands there, as if afraid to breathe.
„Mr. Yoon, I didn't know it was you," he says in a shaky voice. I raise an eyebrow at his lying.
„May we visit?" I ask politely, but I am already determined to enter without his permission, if he doesn't open the door. His house, his rules — rules that I intend to rewrite.
„Y-yes, come in," he says, stepping back from the door to let us in. Kang's brothers and I walk in, not bothering to take off our shoes or borrow slippers — this place can't get any dirtier.
Mr. Jo ushers us into a room, that he dares to call the living room. The room feels empty, except for a few pieces of worn furniture that hark back to better times. The grey walls are bare, the curtains are heavy and dusty and hang limply in the windows like a long-lost memory of home.
In the corner sits an old, detend couch, and next to it is a small table with an ashtray full of cigarette butts — the only evidence that anyone actually lives here.
„M-may I offer you something, sir?" I inspect my fingernails, completely ignoring his offer. What could this man possibly offer me? Nothing.
„Mr. Jo, I'll get right to the point," I begin, and Mr. Jo visibly cracks up. „It has come to my attention, that the money you borrowed from me, was not used for the intended purpose. You lied to me." Mr. Jo starts wringing his hands through his ragged white shirt and avoids my gaze. He deliberately avoids making eye contact.
„I-I'm...,"
„Before you start telling me your made-up lies," I interrupt, cutting off his stammering reply. „You should start thinking about, how you're going to repay this debt to me. With interest, to be exact, because, Mr. Jo, I'm not going to get fucked off." Mr. Jo drops to his knees.
„I'm sorry, sir. I'll do whatever it takes to pay you back." His words are lost in despair.
„Mark your words, Mr. Jo. Anything in my world really means anything," I whisper, almost as a threat. His face pales and his eyes widen with fear. He's just realised what he's said to me.
„I-I will repay you for everything. But I don't have enough right now," he says, pausing before falling silent as Hanil immediately puts the gun to his head. Mr. Jo bursts into tears. I roll my eyes. Treacherous rat.
„If you can't pay me, then I'll take whatever you can give me right now."
„But I don't have anything," he mutters inaudibly, still in shock.
„You have nothing, you say? And where is your supposedly sick daughter? How old is she now, sixteen? Sixteen?" I relish the horror in his eyes as he slowly realises what I'm implying.
„B-but,"
„Shut up!" I shout at him, leaning in close. I grab his neck, I have no patience for someone like Mr Jo. The scum of humanity.
„Do you remember the terms of our agreement? The agreement that you broke, when you lied to me, about what you were actually going to use my money for." His face shows his devastation as he feels his entire existence sink to the bottom. He struggles to breathe under my grip. I tease him about his fear, as I press his head to the floor. I can't bear to look at his distressed face, it makes me feel sick. I stand up and watch him lying on the floor, sobbing, with a wet patch appearing on his sweatpants.
„Did he really piss himself?" Hanil chuckles behind my back. I wrinkle my nose, I can smell the urine deep in my nasal mucosa.
„Please don't take my daughter away from me. She's innocent."
„You should have thought of that, before you lied to me, Mr. Jo." He crawls to my feet and starts kissing my shoe. I'll kick him out, so he doesn't get me dirty.
„Dad?" We all turn to look at the young woman who has spoken. Mr. Jo's daughter is standing in the hallway, still in her nightdress. She's too young to be of any use to me, but I can't let Mr. Jo go unpunished. He must realise, who he's dealing with, and that those, who cheat me, will suffer the consequences.
„Hannalee," Mr. Jo says, addressing his daughter and making sure, not to let on that he's been crying. Yet his eyes are red and swollen. „Go back to your room. Daddy will sort this out quickly." Hannalee looks at us all again with her innocent, gentle gaze, nods in agreement to her father, and walks back to the far end of the house.
„Please, Mr. Yoon. Just give me some time, that's all I'm asking. Just a little more time," Mr. Jo begs.
„You have two days. You have two days to repay your debt to me. I doubt you'll come up with a better idea, that will satisfy me. I'll be back after two days. If you don't give me what I ask for, your daughter will pay your debt." I turn to leave, but before walking through the door, I glance back at Mr. Jo again.
„I don't need to remind you, that there's no point in running away. I'll find you. Always and everywhere." With those words, we leave his house.
We walk back to the cars, and I ask Taeju to keep an eye on Mr. Jo for the next two days before I go to him again, to collect the money he owes me.
I got back in the car and headed to my next appointment with Mr. Choi.
... ༺༻ ...
BLOOD DEBT (피의 빚)