The next day in the vice principal's office...
"Mr Seojun, have a seat" The vice principal offered but he obviously wasn't in the mood for generosity. I sat but I wasn't in the mood for beating about the bush either.
"Do you know the implication of what you did yesterday?" He eyed me as if he was running a scan then he pulled out a folder and wacked it on the table, it had my name written on it. He lifted his gaze from the folder on the desk to me "A student like you, I can't help but wonder what you were thinking" he tapped the folder twice with a finger "The academy will do it's part in keeping this from your fath...."
"Why didn't you involve the police" I looked up from the folder "isn't that the right thing to do"
"You ungrateful little..."
"You know don't you? About the association. It's been over a year now and this school has lost many students as..."
"Correction... we've pruned out many irrelevant students"
"What?"
"Mr Seojun...we have an image to protect. Whatever this association is or where they came from is what we don't know right now. And the fact that we are not untop of this situation leaves us at a disadvantage"
" when did the school discover XXX?"
"Probably as soon as the whole thing began" his brows caved in "You're not the one to be asking the questions here" he put the folder back into the desk's wardrobe.
"Irrelevant students huhn? How many of us are tagged 'irrelevant'?"
"Luckily for you, it doesn't apply to people like you."
Everything he said crawled down my skin like some infected bug. If, just if it was possible I would've punched the bastard in the nose "if you won't get the police involved... then I should do the you the honors" I got up and bowed.
"Yoon Seojun!" He's voice went a little higher pitched "Do not make things more complicated than you've made it already"
"I didn't do it"
"If The Association says you did then there's no saying otherwise. Look, the academy avoids the police for all our sakes"
"Our?"
"KBS, The Association and each and every student here. It's the least we can do to keep our image, our reputation. Our hands might be deep in the dirt but we keep our faces clean. Now, do you understand?"
I headed to the exit and just before I pulled the door open he stood up and slammed the desk "Hey Yoon Seojun! We're the underdogs here, those people control everything and we don't know how much they can manipulate the police. This isn't some student playing pranks or squid games. It's real life, so grow the fuck up you little urchin. Don't even get stupid ideas in your head and just do as you're told"
The room was cool but Mr Na perspired like he had just raced against a zombie. It was absurd to see the vice principal loose his composure. Somehow the sight got me excited, something tingle in my stomach. His static smug expression was wiped off by fear and frustrating in an instant. I smiled and headed out.
He called from inside the office "suspension, you're suspended! You've got 5 days to put
your act together and tell your fath...tell Mr Yoon that the issue has been resolved" he sat "I already put a call through to him but you'll have to do your part. And do it well"
I closed the door.
By the time I reached the school's gate, there was already someone waiting to pick me up. The butler came down and opened the door to the passenger seat for me.
"Pffttt....when did you become so loyal, on an average day you'd have me driving the car with you in the back seat" I hopped into the car. The butler gave a hearty chuckle and peeped in "well I guessed you were having a bad day so it's the least I can do" then he got into the driver seat.
" is father at home?"
"He's in a meeting but he shouldn't be long" he looked at me through the rearview mirror "By the way master Seojun" he drew a quick breath "what did you get yourselve into this time, are they expelling you?"
I glanced at him through the mirror and looked back out the window "don't get too friendly with me Mr Lee"
"And that's why you don't have friends" we both smiled.
...
I took off my uniform, hung them then changed into a lousy shirt and a lousy jogger that complimented it. I plopped on the bed and opened XXX, it still read the same thing. ₩10,000 was too cheap for allegedly taking someone's life and not to brag but Yoon Seojun's worth was way more than 10,000 won note. Everything seemed to freeze and for the first time in about 14 hours it dawned on me that someone had actually died, someone I knew was murdered before my very eyes. The thought made my skin crawl, the memory was more than unpleasant but felt familiar for some reason. It felt like deja vu.
Knock knock knock
The housekeeper called from behind the door "Master Seojun, Mr Yoon would like to speak to you. He's in the study waiting" after a long moment of silence she called again " master Yoon?". I pulled the door open
"Tell him I'm not really in the mood right now"
"Seojunaaa, you know that wouldn't be good for any of us. He grows more impatient upon every second you spend up here." Mrs Bae held my hands in hers "you don't have to say anything just listen to him, if he gets mad just keep quiet. I'm not sure whatever happened at school but I know you're a good boy" she rubbed my left cheek tenderly. For as long as I can remember Mrs Bae was more than a housekeeper or a Nanny, she played more of the motherly role in my life for over a decade now. I was thankful for having her. I managed to put on a small smile and went to the study.
In the study father was seated crouched over a newspaper. Mr Yoon was one to be scared of, he was tall with sharp nose and soul piercing eyes. Even though few steands of his hair started rebelling by growing grey his presence was still very intimidating. Ofcourse no one said it to his face but everyone knew that father had the same intense presence that a tiger would have. Wether it was old or in it's youth, it wasn't fun to play around.
"I'm here"
"Sit" and I did, on a chair across from where he sat at a table. "what's this about a fight?"
"Fight?" Was that what the vice principal said to him?
He looked up from the newspaper "why? didn't you get into a fight?"
'I already put a call through to him but you'll have to do your part. And do it well'
"If that's what you were told"
"Well I was told that if I named my son Seojun he'll live a life of comfort and ease. But I guess reality can be different from what you're told"
"The shaman didn't have a masters degree in education so it's understandable that he's not as reliable"
He chuckled "the more I looked at you, the more I hate to admit that you take after me"
"I don't"
The corner of his mouth twitched and he frowned "What were you fighting for?"
"Just because..." I shrugged
"Just... because? You think this is a game. Here you are the supposedly heir to the Yoon's fortune on suspension because of a stupid fight." He slammed the newspaper shut "How much more nonsense do I have to take from you? Can't you be more like Seo-jeong instead of causing trouble everywhere you go like some spoiled brat. Now I might have to personally meet with the other students parent"
"Just one mistake and you go off like that. If you care so much about your precious image then you can forget it. I've spoken to the parent with Mr Na and I received my punishment accordingly so there's no need for your presence" I raised my voice to match his
"One mistake? We seem to count differently" he rose "your grandfather is coming in tomorrow, try not to irritate him with all your folly"
The next day...
For the first time in two weeks The Association had updated a target that evening. Rank 10 Seong Na-ra. Female predators that ranked up were scarce but those who did were as deadly as any male predator. I had to go there, if that hunter was going to join the hunt then I should be at the starting barrier to welcome him. I pulled on a hoodie and went to hunting grounds.
On my way there I couldn't help but get caught up in a storm of my own thoughts. What happened to Mi-rae's body? What happened to all those other students? Are we even the only school being manipulated by The Association? Just how much power do they have and why do they make a bunch of teenagers play bounty? Nothing seemed to make sense anymore, the more I thought about it the more frustrating it got.
The bounty games initially started off with a bunch of students beating up predators and bringing them to point x for fingerprint verification and slowly turned to a bloody game, the instructions were constantly changed depending on the predator and the height of their offense. Some predators were even requested for dead or alive while The Association specified that others were brought dead---predators that ranked 1-5 were not expected to be brought alive. They made murderers and mad men out of all of us, and laughed us to scorn behind those fucking masks.
By the time I reached the back of the school, the sun had already gone down and most of the lights in the school yard was turned off, It was quiet. To anyone on the outside they'd think we had retired for the night but each and every one behind that wall knew the cold, dark and silent nights as nights they survive or die trying to.
I went over the school walls and walked to a field just behind the main building. It was quiet and empty but I could smell the load of adrenaline that was hanging in the air like stale booze. Someone grabbed me from behind in a chokehold, the arms were lean but firm. I tried wriggling out of the hold but it was no use so I gave a desperate elbow to the person's rib and with a little grunt the hold loosened. I noticed the gap so I head-butted the person and thrust myself forwarded. I turned to see Seong Na-ra, she had a pinkish purple mold for where her right eye had been, a couple of bruises and a bleedy nose that was presumably from the former hit. Six more people came running out of the darkness.
"Na-ra let's go, they set abush at the school's gates. We have to find a way to..." The one guy amongst the seven of them finally noticed me "who's that?"
"My new crush, he hates being embrassed from behind though" she laughed and gestured to her nose "the sonuvabitch busted my nose"
One of the girls ran to me "well, fuck me!" She laughed "it's the psychopath from the day before yesterday. I thought they laid you off. You're a predator now, you should be working with us"
Na-ra pushed her aside and accessed me with her other good eye, she turned to her acquaintances "no one told me he looked this fine" her giggle was put to an abrupt pause as she turned back to me "why are you on hunting grounds anyway? Got a bone to pick with me?" She drew out a knife. Now for one thing I wasn't sure if the hunter was in this hunt since his target were random and it was hard to figure out what and who he'd be hunting for but if he was here, then the stakes are high that he'd get to this clown union before anyone did. So If I stuck with them I'd have a higher chance if meeting him tonight.
"I know a way you could get out without following any obvious entrances or exits. It's a wall somewhere nearby, it's where I came in from there where no hunter there"
"And why would we listen to you" the male predator asked in an irritated tone
"Got a better option? then be my guest"
We went to where I came in from. "Go over and say if you see anyone suspicious" Na-ra order one of her female subordinate. After declaring the place clear they started over the wall one after the other, each one giving a boost to the next. I became nervous, beads if sweat rolled down and I looked about in anticipation of the arrival of the hunter.
"Waiting for someone?" Na-ra asked.
"N-not exactly"
"Then get over the fucking wall"
Seven of us had already gone over and the male predator was helping himself up the wall but the hunter wasn't there yet. Just as the male predator came down the wall we heard footsteps echoing out from the shadows. He was here.
Emotions struggling between anger, fear and excitement as his figure was illuminated by the dim lights in the alley. The tingling feeling came back, the nostalgic feeling of pleasure I get from seeing him.
"You guys should go ahead I have business with him"
"I'm here for her bounty and I don't remember you booking an appointment"
As dumb as Seong Na-ra could be, she knew when to turn away from a fight she couldn't handle so she and her crew made a break for it. The hunter tried going after them but I held unto him.
"Let go!" He threw a left hand that I dodged, I arrested him in a chokehold which was not nearly as strong as Na-ra's and proved difficult due to our height difference. And in a very quick manuever he flip me over sending me crashing down to the floor with my back. Damn it hurt! He readied to chase after them but I held unto his leg. We kept on sturggling for a while, I was determined to get his stupid mask off and he was determined to get his target's bounty.
"I said let go!" He kicked my side and hurried down the alley. Then the notification rang
HUNT COMPLETE
NAME: Seong Na-ra
AGE:19 years old
CLASS: Grade 12 class A
STATUS: Predator
PREDATOR RANK: 10
PREY COUNT: 25
BOUNTY: ₩825,000 (CLAIMED)
CONGRATULATIONS ON A SUCCESSFUL HUNT! TODAYS HUNT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. HUNTERS MAY NOW EXIT HUNTING GROUNDS.
---The Association
He turned to me, i was just about to pick myself up from the ground. I checked my phone and say the notification, how possible was it, in just a little less than 10 minutes her bounty had been claimed. He ran up to me and jacked me by my hoodie.
"See what you've done"
"You piece of shit" I chuckled "you screw me over and then you get mad at me"
He pushed me back as he let go of my cloth "I want to stop running into you. You're a predator now right? get a bounty worth craving for first then they'll be more meaning to each time we meet"
"Fucking sonuva..." I readied a fist but stopped as I caught sight of something, no someone, two people. They were in black cloaks and both wore a hahoetal mask far off at the foot of the alley, they hurried into another street. The long dark cloak made it impossible to see their feet so it was like they were gliding across. One of them shot a glance at me just before they disappeared out of sight.
Whatever the fuck that was or wherever they were heading, it was creepy and I didn't want to get involved. They looked like they had come from hell to rip souls. Footsteps and murmurs slowly approached where we were, presumably those of market women who were returning for the day. We both made our way out of the alley that day. Whatever tension there was between the both of us would be resolved another day.
...
"father welcome. I was surprised when you said you'd come visiting. Is anything the matter?"
"Does anything have to be the matter before I come visiting. I've missed my grandson, it's been three years now. Where is he?"
"Who?... Seojun?" Father hesitated because he had not the slightest idea where his son was "Seojun stepped out for a bit, he'll be back soon"
Grandpa was a bulcky six footer, the chairman of Yoon corporation. Chairman Yoon was just as fearsome as his son. Asides the head full of grey hair and the mustache and beards, the crow feet that surfaced at the corner of his eyes and the depressions on his face that were evidence of a healthy aged man, he could pass off as father's double ganger.
"Dae-hyeon, what do you plan on doing with the company, you do not intend to completely cut Seojun off do you?"
"Seojun is not ready yet father, and I fear that he'll never be"
"So it's Seo-jeong then?"
"Father we both know very well that Seojun is not in his right frame of mind. We need someone sound like Seo-jeong to take over..."
"Seojun is your flesh and blood!" chairman Yoon raised his voice "and never has it happened that the company was passed down to a different lineage"
"He's not a different lineage, he's my son just like Seojun"
"Dae-hyeon" chairman Yoon drew a deep breath "you never saw Seojun as your son did you? You still hold a grudge against your own son"
Father's lips curled up a bit in what would come off as a smile "would you like to have tea?"
As soon as I stepped into the house Mrs Bae ran up to me saying that grandfather had arrived and he and father were discussing in the living room. I was prompted to go greet him. My body still ached from my short encounter with the hunter, it felt like something had slipped out of place in my lower back but I avoided limping in order to reduce suspicion and unnecessary interrogations from father. Walking into the living room I resembled some sort of oversized gnorme, trying to hide my stiffened back.
"Ah, my boy there you are"
"Grandfather, welcome. It's been a while, I hope your trip was safe"
He settled into the sofa "I heard you're on suspension"
My back was starting to throb now so I bit the insides of my mouth to avoid showing the pain "I apologize Grandfather"
He stood up and walked up to me, towering over me like everyone else in the house--except Mrs Bae. He starred at me, my head bent downwards in showcase of respect. It was rude to look an elder in the eye.
The corner of his mouth twitched "did you win?"
"W-what?"
"The fight, did you win"
I chuckled slightly "I think he broke my back"
Grandfather burst into a hearty laugh that sounded a lot like Santa Claus's. He rubbed my hair playfully with his right hand "you know you're the only one in our family that hasn't come close to 5'10. I guess you take after your mother" he wacked my shoulder twice "go on, get that back treated right"
I bowed and left.
Chairman Yoon's smile turned upside down as he turned to face father "Yoon Dae-hyeon you've been negligent of late. I have to criticize your parenting skills" he walked up to father, pulled out a cigarette box and a lighter from his coat pocket and lit a cigarette. He took a long draw and let it out slowly "what do you have to say for yourself. What would you have to say for yourself if that boy goes rogue again?"
Knowing fully well that he had a well-read back up plan father sat up confidently "Not to worry Chairman Yoon. I have him on a short leash"
"Yes ofcourse he has a leash, that's not the problem" he blew smoke to father's face "the problem's that I'm not sure if you're still the one holding that leash".