The car started to move to the sound of an airplane flying over it like a giant bird. Lee Min Hyun rolled down the window, lit up a cigarette, and a strong, bitter scent spread around the car with a sharp blow of the draft. His brother, Yang Min Seok, stole the cigarette out of his hands, threw it out of the window, and made a grimace with his tired but still-handsome face.
"Don't smoke that shit in my car."
Min Hyun clicked his tongue and leaned back in the car seat. He had to stick to his brother, who could not stand the smell of cigarettes, the whole time they were in Japan, therefore, he was already dying to have a proper smoke, and yet, he had to wait again. Min Seok looked at the guy's irritated expression and sighed.
"You used to be a fucking athlete and look at you now. And you're only twenty-five."
"And you're only thirty but the stick up your ass is soon going to stick out of your throat."
Yang Min Seok scoffed, smacked his brother's head, and rustled his hand through his hair almost affectionately - he was as annoying as always but his immature behavior, despite anything, made him feel at ease. For several reasons.
"How is that woman doing? I heard you visited her again. Don't you find it bothersome?"
Min Hyun furrowed his eyebrows and fixed his hair again.
"What is that to you if I do? And don't call her "that woman", she is my mother, you know."
His brother smiled and looked out of the window. After a few moments of silence, he let out a tired exhale, and continued,
"You've become even more brazen, Min Hyun. Just because we call you our family does not mean you actually belong with us."
"Yes, yes, I know my place, big brother."
The guy grinned as he answered, clasped his hands in front of his face, and made an ironic bow. Min Seok slapped him on the forehead and turned away again.
"Why are you pretending to work as an intern at Yang Technology? Don't tell me you're seriously trying to learn something for a change?"
"Whatever do you mean, big brother? I am not an idiot, I have graduated from college, for fuck's sake! And who knows... I am already managing a rather important "branch" of the family business, perhaps one day I will sit in father's place."
He smiled as he watched his brother's face grimace again, and when Min Seok's mad eyes met his, he hastily waved his hands as if telling him that he did not mean anything he had just said, and laughed.
"Geez, hyung, sometimes you look even scarier than me!"
But Min Seok did not care for his jokes, he grabbed him by the tie, twisted it around his fist as if trying to choke him, and pulled him closer, looking right into his cold but sparkling eyes.
"Don't try to be smart with me, you fucking imbecile. Father is being lenient with you because you're useful but the moment you start causing trouble for the company, you're finished. Understand?"
Min Hyun sighed, then grabbed his brother's wrist and started twisting it causing him to wince in pain and let go of his tie at once. He then pushed him away, fixed his clothes, and grinned.
"You should not recklessly touch someone with years of actual fighting experience, big brother. Next time I'll rip that hand right off. You can still sign papers with one hand, right?"
Yang Min Seok rubbed his throbbing wrist, then leaned back, let out a long sigh, and closed his eyes.
"This is what I'm talking about."
He opened his eyes and shifted them to the guy next to him.
"This is your place. You pulled yourself into it, and you will die there. No matter whom you hurt."
Min Hyun did not reply. He knew all too well that his older brother was right - he was a son of a whore whom his father kindly locked up in a home, instead of getting rid of, and ever since he could remember, he was nothing but a tool, someone on a stand-by, waiting for his chance to either shine or sink deeper into darkness. And in the end, he ended up doing the latter.
***
He closed the door to his apartment behind him and sighed in relief; finally, it was over, he was home. He lit up the much-awaited cigarette and sucked on it greedily, filling his lungs with its poisonous smoke, the bitter smell was almost as pleasant as the scent of Miss Yoon's body.
Having finished two cigarettes in a row, Min Hyun walked up to the room at the end of the hallway, took out a small key, unlocked the door, and walked into the room with a bright, smiling face.
"Miss Yoon, I'm back! Did you miss me?"
Dozens of Se Ah's photos stapled carefully onto each wall, greeted him with their familiar silence but Min Hyun could almost hear her voice as he slid his big hand across them. He leaned back on the wall and felt extreme fatigue washing over his body like a heavy black wave. His body slowly moved down onto the floor and when he felt a sense of relief as he sat down on the cold wood, Min Hyun closed his eyes, and whispered,
"I miss you, Miss Yoon. I never thought I could miss someone this much. I've been missing you ever since we first met six years ago... Do you remember? Who would have thought we would have that thing in common... You showed me so much compassion in such a short time although you did not even know me..."
He brushed his black hair back and started taking his clothes off: the black jacket, the tie, the white shirt... He then placed his hand on his chest, felt a tiny scratch on his now perfectly normal skin with his index finger, and smiled bitterly.
"It's all gone now... "