"This is the thanks I get from these rats squatting in my territory? Jae Hyun's voice cut through the deafening gunfire as he ran to crouch behind a car, and his men fanning out surrounding him.
Stray bullets rained everywhere, thanks to Renjun scheming another attack on Jae Hyun. It had hardly been a week since his last attack, yet he was it again, this time sending his nephew Kinn to man his operations.
Muzzle flashes rained down the alleyway, with the aiming shots hurling up sprays of concrete at the edge of the car. Jae Hyun snarled angrily. "You'd all do well to remember who runs this goddamn turf."
"Finish them all." He spat. "Finish every last one of those Renjun's bastards."
Gunshots rained the alley immensely with Jae Hyun's order. Through the gun smoke and chaos were muffled cries of the perpetrators who were now getting back fire from Jae Hyun's men.
"Status?" Jae Hyun barked, holding his rifle at the ready. This wasn't the point to be vulnerable, whether by misfire or enemy retaliation.
Bodies fell to the ground, one after the other, some being Jae-Hyun's men who were unfortunate enough to catch the bullets–and most of them being Renjun's.
"The gang's been neutralized." One of his men confirmed after scanning the grisly scene.
"Get a detail hosing down here once the first responders are handled. Can't have the police sniffing around in my backyard." Jae Hyun said, already shifting focus to the next pressing matter.
As soon as Jae Hyun opened the car door, he met Minho's unimpressed stare, lying in the backseat and covering his ears. Minho held that stare for a few seconds then yanked himself up before gazing outside.
"Jae…what in God's name did you do?" Minho rasped out unable to look away from the pool of bodies swathed in blood and gunshot wounds scattered across the rubble.
"Surely, you can't be that naïve pretty boy, huh? Don't you know what happens when the wrong people overstay their welcome in my living room?"
"Jesus, Jae! How is this… this sickening butchery perfectly normal to you? Weren't there other ways besides… be―" Minho said in horror, his eyes scanning Jae Hyun's handiwork.
"Look, kid." He shot him a stern glare. "Up until now, you should have known there are no 'other ways' in how I conduct business." Jae Hyun sneered. "Anyone who dares to overstep their boundaries or double cross me answer to the… permanent solutions." Jae Hyun shrugged indifferently.
Jae Hyun chuckled, closing the distance between him and Minho. "This is the reality of how things work in my world," Jae Hyun jabbed his finger against Minho with every word. "If you can't accept that then I suggest take your delicate sensibilities anywhere but here before my men mistake you for a target too."
***
"Goddamn slob," Chan hissed, hunching over the man who was bound in the chair, pressing the tip of his boot to his groin.
Lee suppressed a laugh. "It's gonna be a rough night for you."
"Fuck off."
Smirking, Lee pulled out a cigarette and handed one to Chan as well, tossing him a lighter.
"So, what now? Chan asked, tossing the lighter back.
Chan shot a glance at unresponsive Kinn as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Take him to the silos. The boss will be there waiting."
Chan shook his head, tapping on his cigarette to flick off the ash.
"Renjun was quite a fool to let Kinn take the lead. Whose idea was it anyway? Dumbasses."
"Dunno."
"That's a lot of trouble for squatting on someone's turf."
Chan acknowledged silently. He wasn't in a position to question how things worked. His was to take orders and do whatever the bosses wanted. He didn't know what he was playing at, not that he wanted to know anyway. All he wanted was to get things going as per the seniors' orders.
***
"Come on, let's go." Jae Hyun said, getting out of the car. "We got business to do."
"Take us to the other site," he commanded without bothering to lift his face.
The driver nodded curtly and remained silent as they headed outside the city. A few tense miles later, they pulled into another access route into an industry complex with abandoned houses.
The SUV slowed to a halt and the doors opened. They came out and began to walk into the building. Minho squinted against the harsh glare of the suspended single bulb hanging from one of the rafters as he hurried behind Jae Hyun, passing a few concrete pillars.
"Got something for you boss," Lee jeered as they rounded the corner.
There they were―Jae Hyun's goons in a semi-circle. In the middle was a man bound to a chair. Blood oozed from his bruised cheekbone and split lip down to his soiled t-shirt.
Despite his beat-up appearance, Minho recognized the face. It was the same guy at the casino beside Jae Hyun. What he couldn't bring himself to understand was how this man who seemed to be his friend was the one who ended up in an abandoned place battered and with Jae Hyun's men.
"What do we got here?" Jae Hyun slurred condescendingly, "If it isn't the big bad boss coming to pay me a visit?"
Frowning, Minho drew closer as if to make sure the man was really who he thought he was.
"Ah, yes," he snapped his fingers, circling the man. "Kinn, little Renjun's bitch with an elite obsession of wanting things belong to me, tsk tsk… and somehow thought he'd sabotage my business and live to tell about it."
Kinn let out a harsh barking laugh. "When my uncle gets wind of what's happening here, you're a dead man, you asshole. Get me out of these stupid cuffs and save yourselves while you still can." Kinn snapped, trying to wiggle himself out of the chair."
A smile stretched slowly until it curved into a wicked grin across Jae Hyun's face that would have seemed more at home on a hungry shark. He reached out, tracing the man's jaw almost fondly.
"That's what that degenerate asshole has been feeding you and your little crew of flunkies over there?" he asked, not concealing his condescension. "So, what? you people thought what? That you could plan my downfall that easily after that foolish you pulled back there? How sweet."
"You are a dead man, Park…I'll deal with you―"
"So where is he hiding?" Jae Hyun asked the bound man.
"I'm no snit―"
A slap whipped the response short. "Wrong answer, let's try that again. Where is Renjun?"
Jae Hyun turned his attention to Minho. "Sorry boy, but it looks like you're about to get another crash course." He drawled. "You might want to brace yourself. This might get…a little messy."
He flicked his hand in a negligent motion, signalling his men to haul the struggling fellow towards the exit door and outside. Given that Kinn had had his deals with Joon Ho, it made sense that he wasn't aware of the trouble he had plunged himself into. Maybe that was why he thought he still was in a position to talk.
"Get that useless slob outside, looks like he needs a few persuasion techniques to loosen his tongue." Jae Hyun bellowed.
Outside, the darkened silo that towered looked terrifying, like it was waiting for the next victim. He had had just enough escapades with Jar Hyun to recognize this as a set-up for something really shady. The men hauled Kinn, throwing him to the ground on his knees, with his arms still bound.
"I will not ask again. Where is Renjun? Give up that location and you'll save yourself a whole lot of trouble."
"I don't fucking know where he is!" Kinn yelled right back at Jae Hyun's face. "He switches hideouts all the time. You think he'll sit around and wait for you to catch up with him?"
Jae Hyun clicked and grabbed a metal bar lying idle on the ground, connecting it to Kinn's back in a whack. "You lying piece of shit!"
Kinn's voice cracked in a scream, and Jae Hyun's face was overwritten with pure ecstasy while at it.
"High and mighty Kinn, where's the tough act now?" he bellowed, raising the metal bar and landing the weight on the poor man's back, again, and again, not caring where the metal landed. "Not so mighty now, are you?"
Minho slapped a hand over his mouth in shock. His eyes went wide, almost popping out of their sockets in horror. He was fighting the urge to run away, given what he was witnessing, yet some sheer force rooted him frozen, unable to move before suffering the same fate.
"It's …not a-about me," Kinn struggled to muffle a response, trembling in pain. "He will f-find …you―"
Jae Hyun grabbed Kinn by his hair, yanking the trembling, groaning man up. "What was that you said again? Does it look to you like you're walking out of here?" he let out a hysterical laughter. "No, I don't think so."
"He will… find you." Kinn cried, trying to holster himself into position and failing terribly.
"You overestimate him," Jae Hyun replied, along with a kick to Kinn's side, which sent the man falling on his weight. He added another kick to his already broken leg, making the man scream wildly. He then rained punches on the man's face with rage straight out of hell, over, and over again until Minho couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop!"
One final struggling cry left Kinn's ruined face before he slumped back like a bag of potatoes, unresponsive.
Satisfied, Jae Hyun towered over the mess he had just made, his chest rising in exertion. His skin shone with slick sweat. His white shirt and part of his face were stained with splatters of blood. He lifted his head to meet horrified Minho's face, as a wry smirk stretched across his face.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What… did you just say to me?" Jae Hyun turned his attention to Minho.
Oh shit…