Chapter 22: Yoo Jonghyuk's side quest #21: Ultimate Sacrifice. [part 3]
Kim Dokja hunched over and caused few raven locks from his fringe to fall upon his pale skin, like broken strands of a dark curtain, lightly swaying in front of him as they partially covered his sight. He was too weak to move around, let alone explore his surroundings, and besides that, all his four limbs were still tied up. But let's look at the bright side here, at least the blindfold and the saliva soaked cloth weren't on him anymore.
After making a great effort just to lift his head, Kim Dokja's long eyelashes quivered as his eyelids fluttered open before squinting them in two crevices whilst trying to filter his vision out. And through these slanted gaps, he managed to make out the outline of a very poorly furnished dark concrete room. After adjusting his sight, with eyes wide open he found himself bathed in pitch blackness. The teen tried to look around the darkness surrounding him. If based only on his scarce information, the sole reachable conclusion was that he had been being confined in a room with no windows or any other source of lights working.
However, a sudden bright flash appearing out of nowhere had blinded Kim Dokja's sensitive eyes. He blinked a few times but didn't know that what came next may leave him with perpetual nightmares.
When Kim Dokja finally adjusted himself to the new brightness, what had greeted him was an array of cold bodies littered on the floor. He winced and subconsciously shifted his gaze downwards. Gradually expanding towards his feet was a bright crimson-colored pool of blood which reflected the bleak light coming from the single lightbulb illuminating the room.
His stomach churned because of the metallic stench invading his nostrils, but he still managed to hold himself together. It may sound wrong and insensitive, but Kim Dokja didn't even puke when he was almost screwed against his will, so how bad can a few corpses be? It can only stink and do nothing else, living people are far more dangerous.
A clear example of such an instance is that person over there. The perpetrator, who was currently leaning against the wall puffing out rings of smoke with nonchalance. Holding a cigarette between his bony fingers, the dark reddish embers of the lit tobacco burned with an intense radiance each time he inhaled a mouthful.
After puffing out a few more dark clouds of nicotine to finish about all the tobacco left, he then threw the burnt end onto the ground without even properly extinguishing it after. The still-lit cigarette butt continued to burn while emanating a string of smoke. He then stepped forward into the light to reveal himself.
It was the first time Kim Dokja saw the man without the surgical mask covering half of his face. Maybe the boy's mind was still too hazy because the only remarkable detail he had noticed was a deep scar running across Jun's left cheek down his chiseled jawline.
"You really have some remarkable long eyelashes for a boy. I wonder if that's a family trait."
"..."
What would 'Yoo Jonghyuk do in this kind of situation?' Definitely not tremble in fear, which is what Kim Dokja was doing right now.
The reader had always thought of himself as a person with a strong mental fortitude because of the variety of gory stuff he had encountered while reading some webnovels. But this was reality and those beliefs were clearly a lie because now he was honestly feeling terrified.
He still hasn't read the last newer chapters of 'Three ways to survive in a ruined world' and he doesn't want to die holding these kinds of regrets. In this game called 'life', he had already failed as a person, but he doesn't wish to also fail as a reader!
"You know, partner, your uncle brought a lot of people with him. The ones surrounding us are just half of them." Jun bemused himself as he took out another cigarette. He was about to light it, but changed his mind and decide to put it back inside his pocket. The scarred man beamed towards the skeptical teen. "But don't worry too much because the other ones aren't dead, yet."
Kim Dokja had subconsciously held in his breath when Jun began approaching him with a nonchalant attitude as if he was blasé about the whole situation. His life was currently hanging on a thin thread. The teen's first impression of the man standing before him hadn't been a good one, but he had never imagined him to be the kind of person who made no qualms about killing others.
"Let's had a nice little family reunion, shall we?" Jun sounded elated as he leaned forward to untie the ropes binding the young man.
Kim Dokja's legs were numb and unsteady because they had been tied for too long, and as he tried to pull himself up, he unsurprisingly ended up tumbling down. But fortunately for him, Jun reached out his arms out to catch him on time. Looking at the feeble teen who resembled a newborn deer, the scarred man couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Do you want me to carry you?"
The teen tried to protest, but then he suddenly felt light-headed and furrowed his brows as the world around him began to spin. Kim Dokja cursed under his breath when he heard that cursed chuckle again.
***
On the other side of the city, the loud sirens of the police cars disrupted the busy nightlife of the big metropolitan city of Seoul. They had received an emergency call coming from a remote police station situated in the outskirt of the town, the person requesting aid was that notorious demoted officer. In the past, she had offended many people of the higher-ups because of her headstrong personality. Nevertheless, how much are those cheeks gonna burn when they'll realize that all those previous inconsequential investigations had actually led her to solve the biggest case of the century.
A dark silhouette was tailing behind the police brigade, stealthily jumping through the towering roofs, swift and agile like a feline stalking its prey. He was just a redundant person caught in the scheme, someone who had no connection with the whole ordeal of the Kim family's battle for the inheritance. Nevertheless, he still got one reason to meddle with the situation.
He needs to save someone.
Yoo Jonghyuk began observing those police cars when he had noticed that their path had roughly coincided with his. The black-coated man decided to take this gamble and followed them. The system only gave him an approximate radius estimation, but since he began tailgating them, the number on the radar had only decreased exponentially.
Love is a reckless thing.
Realizing those feelings seems to have cleared his head, but at the same time, also clouded his rationality. Yoo Jonghyuk who usually prioritized efficiency over probability chose to wager everything in, even something he thought had already lost value. His time was more precious than anything else, but ironically his life wasn't as much of importance to the regressor. And because he had only less than twenty-four hours to find Kim Dokja, failure might as well mean death for him. So in this instance, he decided to bet both his precious time and now meaningful life on that devious companion of his.
Yoo Jonghyuk wasn't like Kim Dokja, he didn't like to dwell too much on a single matter. He held more resolution than anyone else and was more direct, which is why he's the protagonist. Once he had wholeheartedly decided on something, it was really hard to change his mind.
His pitch-black pupils, as dark as the night, brimmed with resolution as they reflected the starry sky.
「 I will become a daredevil just for you. 」
***
When he finally regained consciousness, Kim Dokja snapped open his eyes to find himself leaning against the corner of another room, and right before him, he could see both Jun and his paternal uncle exchanging blows. Kim Sungwoo was already panting, while on the other hand, Jun looked more energized than ever.
Glaring at the man before him, Kim Sungwoo's expression scrunched up as he snarled. "Don't be so conceited, you haven't won yet."
Jun simply laughed it off and slightly turned his head sideways, allowing him to meet Kim Dokja's confused gaze. He softly lifted the corner of his mouth before pulling out a sharp object behind his back.
"Sleeping beauty is awake. I can't entertain you anymore, it's your turn now."
Raising his hand, Jun stabbed towards the latter's neck when he had least expected it. He had pierced his neck with such precision that not even a droplet of blood came out from the wound. As the needle pricked his skin, Kim Sungwoo's entire body stilled. And after the content of the syringe got forcefully injected inside his bloodstream, he immediately slumped down on the cold floor.
The image of the old gentleman was immediately ruined as he began twisting and turning on the dusty ground. His dark eyes quivered while he coughed white foam out of his mouth.
Jun tilted the corner of his lips upwards, forming a haunting wicked smile on his scarred face. Even though the chilling smile wasn't directed at him, the sheer bloodthirst he emanated in the surrounding was enough to make people wary of him. It was the first time Kim Dokja realized that he was really dealing with a psychopath. A crazy bastard who looks even more insane than the Yoo Jonghyuk of the fifth round.
Kim Sungwoo crooked his body while shakily warping around his throat using both hands. He seemed to struggle and wanted to spat out more profanities out of his foaming mouth. Laying down the floor while spasming, Kim Sungwoo cried out in agony through his gritted teeth.
Honestly, he really did resemble a stray dog afflicted with rabies.
"Stop overreacting old man. It's not poison, you're just paralyzed for a few hours."
Unfazed by the piercing glare directed at him, Jun started pacing around the twitching body with leisure. Tapping a finger under his chin, the scarred man contemplated his next course of action while listening to the latter's inquiries, or his attempts at least.
"Why-... Who... a- are...!"
Jun chuckled as he muttered under his breath. "You must want to know-"
Before finishing his sentence, the scarred man delivered a strong kick toward Kim Sungwoo's stomach. Scattering his white saliva everywhere as he began spasming in pain, again. Greeted by such a messed up sight, Jun's crazed smile grew even larger and brighter before abruptly reverting back to his iconic placid smile.
"Guk! Kwaaak-"
Hearing the growling sounds directed at him, pleased but at the same time irked him very much. Jun made a disgruntled face as he scoffed. "Shut up."
Kim Dokja was staring at Jun's crazed eyes. He, too, had wished retribution to befall upon that man. But now that he spectated the executioner's job, his will began to waver as he continued to stare at that crude display of cruelty.
He was still too cowardly and lacked the right amount of self-confidence needed to be able to become this ruthless. Totally opposite to the vicious man who was leisurely chatting with him as if what he was doing was just another mundane task. Jun treated Kim Dokja as his little student when he began explaining the science behind his kicks.
"Look closely little fox, you need to aim for the gutter and that's one of the best ways to torture someone. However, if you aim for the solar plexus is also good but you have to put more force in your kicks. Moreover..."
He slowly talked with a placid voice while he continued to send nasty kicks towards the defenseless middle-aged man who looked so ragged and pitiful now. But there wasn't a shred of pity in his cold gaze, only a gentle smile gracing his lips.
"Be cooperative, would you old man?"
Then after that last sentence, his kicks got even more merciless and started hitting the foaming face of the middle-aged man.
"Ghak...!"
A look of disgust flashed through Jun's eyes but was soon followed by his deep laughter. As he watched the helpless man suffering under his continuous thrashing. Kim Sungwoo could do nothing else but wail and whimper like a dying beast, pleading for that nonexistent shred of mercy. Those blood-curling screams sounded like the best melody Jun's ears ever heard.
"No hard feelings, I'm not a hitman and neither for revenge. After all, you don't even know me, do you?"
"You must be wondering why right?"
"Well, let's just say that you're just fulfilling the purpose of your existence. A story would be boring without a villain, won't it?"
"You are a good candidate for this role."
As Jun kept rambling his nonsense, he acted like a critic giving out a review. His words then revealed all the skeletons inside Kim Sungwoo's closet whilst not forgetting to show his contempt.
The latter's eyes bulged out as he stared in utter shock and disbelief. How could he know all of this! How can all his plans be foiled by a single individual!
With that, he had momentarily stopped kicking the already unrecognizable Kim Sungwoo and erupted in a burst of joyful laughter as he held his stomach.
"You really look funny now."
The teen sucked in a quick breath of cold and dusty air, he wanted to immediately cough it out but he didn't dare to move an inch. The heartbeat inside his chest started to quicken, beating faster and faster. Each beat echoed loudly in Kim Dokja's ears, his thoughts were all drowned by that chaotic noise.
The pain he felt inside his chest was a proof for the sheer tenacious determination that his heart was showing by pumping so much adrenaline inside his body. The anxiety and stress put upon his poor muscle made it beat with a relentless and ferocious might, continuously hitting the lungs that pressed tightly against his ribcage as if it wanted to directly burst out of his chest.
"Now..." The ever-smiling man pulled out a familiar gun from his inner pocket and strolled towards the teen. "It's your turn, partner."
He was handing him the gun.
"Are you ready?"
The question went unheard as it slowly disappeared inside the stillness of the room.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Arrange
Arrange The virus, Kim Dokja that isn't here yet... I feel so down lately. I don't even have any will to write... But I wanted to light up the mood for someone, at least for a bit...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone