Minho opened his mouth, but he couldn't force himself to speak. He barely had time to process the ultimatum. Because what did it mean, to cooperate and put himself in grave danger or not and put his dad's safety at stake?
On the other hand, unbothered Jae Hyun whiffed smoke arrogantly, running his fingers in his long hair. Everything Jae Hyun did proved every horrible thing ever said about him.
"Silence means yes." He crossed his arms "You work for me in exchange for your father's safety. It's a simple trade."
"So, what if I refuse?"
"Then I can no longer guarantee your old man's safety," he said, grinning devilishly. "I'd hate for anything unfortunate to happen to him. I trust you'll make the right choice, or do you want to test my resolve?"
Could the boy really condemn his own father? Or throw his whole life away to suit Jae Hyun's selfish needs?
And although he knew he shouldn't have let himself get involved with the henchmen, to begin with, he'd do anything that had to do with protecting his dad in a heartbeat. Even if it cost him taking on whack jobs with criminals who had shit for brains.
"You can't be serious." The boy choked out. "You can't expect me to just roll over for you."
One look at the vile man's devious gaze and Minho knew he had no choice. Not if he wanted his dad to stay alive.
"Alright," he bit out, hating himself. "I'll do whatever you want. But if you so much as touch a―"
Jae Hyun held his finger up, silencing him. "He'll be fine as long as you hold your end of the bargain. You have my word."
His word. Like that meant anything in this damned house.
"Perfect," Jae Hyun clapped his hands together as if to seal their deal. "Chan, prep him up for his first job tonight." He turned to Minho, "Prove yourself tonight pretty boy."
Minho couldn't bring himself to face Chan. Someone he once loved, is now part of the city's most ruthless clique.
They exited the office into the alleyway. Minho finally found his voice.
"This was your idea, right?"
"Don't flatter yourself. This is business." Chan retorted. "Nothing personal."
"Right, my bad. I forgot you have no capacity for decency."
Chan turned angrily. "Watch your mouth. I'm not the one who―"
"Fuck you!"
"Just get in the car," Chan mumbled, opening the door to a blue sedan. "Let's just get this over with."
Minho sighed defeatedly as he settled into the seat. His life had become a living hell, with a series of tough choices, each one stripping at his sanity. But he would take it all if it meant keeping his dad safe.
***
The car rumbled over the potholed road, shaking Minho where he sat beside Chan. He stared outside through the windshield, watching hopelessly as the landscape slowly changed into a rural grit as Chan drove further. Minho's hands were still bound, useless in his lap.
He was still tense and stole glances at his silent escort every few seconds. This wasn't an imagination. It was really happening. He was in a car being transported for his first assignment for Mr. Park. By Chan!
Lord! How did things escalate so fast to this point?
Chan slowed down and then pulled into a gate that led into a long dusty road. In the distance was an abandoned house in the middle of overgrown fields. As they got closer, a strange man appeared in the doorway as though he had been waiting for their arrival. The man approached Chan; his arms folded over his barrel chest.
Excellent. Another thug ready to usher in Minho into their sick game.
The car slowed to a halt. Chan gave a warning tap on Minho's shoulder and shot him a look that didn't need a translation. Behave. Minho was curious because what's the worst he'd do? Rough him up too? He swallowed thickly and nodded before Chan opened the door.
"About damn time." The man outside said as they got out. He looked like his face was carved out of battered granite, and his eyes narrowed into flashing slits as he scanned Minho blatantly.
"This is the new blood?" he asked, not trying to mask his contempt at all.
Chan dipped his chin, grabbing Minho's arm almost imperceptibly like he was passing a warning.
The man snorted, yet he seemed like he had accepted the brief confirmation. These people had a weird way of communicating. The man jerked his head in the direction of the house.
"Let's get started then."
They walked into a dusty living room. It had mismatched furnishings spread all over. The man grabbed one wooden chair and dragged it backwards, shooting Minho a glare.
"Yeah, you'll do," he mumbled. "Name's Tsu Kai, just so you have something to call me later when you start blubbering. Now, get over here, we got things to do before this handoff goes down."
Chan pushed Minho forward, his palm pushing him forward and he bowed out of the room with clear instructions. "Listen good."
The man began to explain an endless pattern of drills, lectures and rehearsals for what seemed like hours or more. Minho was sure it had been that long. Tsu Kai quizzed the boy over and over again about the upcoming mystery location, pumping him with contingencies just in case things went against their plans while hammering home the sheer extent of what his role was in this product transfer.
"Mess this up, and it'll be more than your useless life that gets snuffed out. Do you understand, kid?
Minho felt like he was being yelled at by some boot camp instructor from hell. Every time the boy hesitated over a detail or wavered too long over a detail, Tsu Kai was on standby to whip out to cuff him across the shoulders.
"Silly, this is what you call paying attention? Dense head you got there. It's a shame it doesn't match those pretty looks. You're lucky I'm not like the others."
Minho was so drained from everything by the time the darkness began to fall, both mentally and physically. He stood in the dim cone from the porch light swaying his feet when Tsu Kai approached him again."
"You can still back out kiddo." The man mocked him jokingly. "Here's your chance to run back to mommy before you're in too deep to walk out."
The boy clenched his fists, trying so hard to stifle the flood of homesick longing that almost broke his demeanour. His father was the only family he had left, and he wasn't about to risk losing him too by trying to get away. Not after the ordeal he'd been through to land in his present situation.
He looked at Tsu Kai in a silent defiance as he mocked him. His rage however was of no use, since there was nothing he could do to stop the man even if he wanted to.
"Good, at least you have guts after all..." the man continued to taunt him.
How had he let everything go down this unsalvageable spiral? Something that started as a simple altercation turned into a gruesome humiliating situation.
The boy however concluded―backing out was way out of options at this point, and even if it was, it was a long shot. His fate now lay in Jae Hyun's hands. For his old man, he would endure this hell.
It didn't matter how badly it threatened to crush his soul.
The screech of a rusty metallic gate being hauled open caught his attention. He could hear people cursing and barking orders. This was the moment― it was show time.
Chan didn't care that the boy was injured. He yanked him to his feet, as Minho's body slumped in protest.
"Get up," he commanded. "We got work to do"
The car's headlights swept over Minho. He watched Tsu Kai grin menacingly like something was amusing, while everything around him suddenly sprung into chaos, wild motion and roaring engines.
Whatever mission he was being sent to, he was never going to recover from it.