#12
It was the day when my fate changed when I found out that I had a special ability. The day I came back home from the academy.
There was an ominous smell all over the house. I could not hide the ominous smell from the TV I was watching while laughing with my parents, and from the table where the birthday cake was placed. And the biggest smell came from my parents' bedroom and master bedroom.
"It's dangerous!"
But that instinct was rejected by human curiosity. I opened the master bedroom door, refusing the instinct to shout not to open it.
Oh my gosh!
A wide open main room. As an elementary school student, I could not forget the intense memories of that time. In the room covered with red blood, there were parents who died with their mouths open without closing their eyes.
I felt awkward as if I was wearing a mask because the face was like an inorganic material, not a living thing. Did my mind make me feel that way to protect me.
I thought it was a joke. Because I couldn't believe it. And there was a man with a knife. A bushy beard and blazing eyes. It wasn't a human eye. It was just the eyes of a beast, predating any machine or other creature to kill, more effectively, for murder.
My heart is numb.
In his eyes I immediately noticed that he was not the one to stop predation because he was a child, a woman, an old man.
"You have to run away."
It sounded like a heartless son who was abandoning his parents, but my instincts told me that. I turned around and ran away from the master bedroom.
Jaw-
Just your heart.
I was held to the hand of the man who moved as fast as a leopard. I struggled to escape, but his steely hand had snatched me by the back of my neck.
It was lifted with one arm. My body, which turned round, came face to face with him. His body didn't smell like a human. It smelled like a predator, intense and sour, shrinking my soul, as if it were really a beast.
He didn't say anything, but I could tell from his eyes.
"I'm going to die."
I sensed death. I don't know what a little boy who was only 10 years old at the time knows, but at that age, I understand life and death. Of course, I didn't understand the deep meaning.
I struggled to no avail. His dagger, which was still trickling through my parents' blood, was hoping for me as his next offering.
Should I have screamed? But I couldn't even speak out in fear. I just let out an unflappable sound from my open mouth.
Finally, life flowed in his eyes. His ruthless sword cut through my throat and tried to end my life at once.
"No!"
That was my one-mindedness. I closed my eyes tightly, as if that dagger wouldn't aim at me and would bounce back.
"Hoot"
He laughed. I don't know if this is a distortion of my memory, based on my speculation that my memory was accurate or just that. But I was sure he laughed at me at the time. It was the perfect beast to tease a slender prey that came into its mouth.
Grip-jik-
That was when something came out of my whole body.
"What, what?"
I can hear his surprised voice. I was terrified and didn't know what was what. I just knew that he was very embarrassed when he caught me.
It's supportive
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The screams of his pain filled the eardrum. The more I did that, the tighter my eyes were closed. His hand that held me shook.
Before long, an unpleasant smell came into my nose. It's a nauseating smell. I fell to the floor.
In an unexpected shock, I opened my eyes. Smoke was coming up from the man who had turned black in front of my eyes.
I passed out.
Later, I was rescued by a neighbor who thought the door was open and the smoke was coming from a smoke-filled house. My parents were pronounced dead by a robber. The robberies found together at the scene were treated like 燒 dead, but I wonder why they were found there, too, burned to death.
Questions were asked to me as a survivor, but I answered 'I don't know' and moved on. All I remember is the death of my parents. That's all, and I only told them that I was caught by a man.
Since then, my statement that I don't remember has been passed. There was no more evidence. How can police, who believe in modern science, put unscientific "superpower" as legal evidence.
The incident left a bitter taste and went into a mystery. I lost my parents to a robber and ended up living with my grandparents.
Now, the incident itself has become a regular subject of YouTubers dealing with mysterious cases, but it is a stark past fact for me.
***
"We're almost there."
Kim Woo-jin woke up Lee Ji-hoon, who was dozing off while sitting next to him. Lee Ji-hoon, who was dozing off while sitting in the passenger seat, woke up in a fit of anger and looked around.
"Are you there?"
"Yes. We have 20 minutes left."
Lee Ji-hoon got out of the car. It is the parking lot of a cafe. Kim Woo-jin got off and went to the cafe together. Calm jazz music was playing in the spacious cafe. During daytime on weekdays, many people looked into their smartphones while enjoying coffee.
The two ordered an iced americano.
"As expected, iced Americano is the best for Koreans."
It was the same with Lee Ji-hoon. Well, two Korean men go to a cafe and they rarely order anything else.
They took two cups of iced americano and sat down. Soon after, two people dressed in suits appeared at the entrance of the cafe.
One is a well-known face. It's "Gosajang," who was Somchai's employer. He pouted and ordered drinks half-heartedly.
Needless to say, what they ordered is an ice americano. The test site received a americano that came out like a bullet and sat down with Lee Ji-hoon and his party with a comforts face.
"You're here."
Lee Ji-hoon and Kim Woo-jin stood up and greeted each other.
"Hmmm."
The Mr. Koh (Factory owner) snorted because he did not fully obey with his heart. The man next to him. He reached out in a refined motion.
"Hello, I'm Park Byung-ho. I'm from the law firm Donghae."
He said he was a former executive of a large corporation, but he brought a lawyer from a large law firm. Lee Ji-hoon scanned Park Byung-ho. Stylishly organized hair, gold-rimmed glasses, well-organized eyebrows and an Armani suit. Subtle perfumescence told his side that he is extremely concerned about his appearance.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Ji-hoon. I'm the lawyer for Somchai Sufarat."
"I'm 'Kim Woo-jin' who works at the Human Rights Center for Foreign Workers. Today, 'Somchai' was forced to leave the country because he had to go through immigration procedures."
Somchai was eventually forced to leave the country. It can't be helped because it's an illegal stay.
The test site smoked and put coffee in his mouth. He didn't say a word, and instead lawyer Park Byung-ho opened his mouth.
"The amount you asked for before will be paid in full. If you give me your account, I will send it to you right away. Instead, if you receive the amount you want, I want you to never mention anything about our client, such as unfair labor."
In the meantime, I'll give you a unpaid wage, so be satisfied with that and turn it off.
The condition is not to talk about abusive language and power abuse that the test site did at the factory. I don't intend to go that far. If you try to flirt with it, this is not a headache. Is there any evidence of this?
Even if there is CCTV in the factory, do you want me to show that the test site is crazy? No, it's already expired and all of them have been deleted. Then the factory workers? You know that would be impossible. Who will step up and expose the boss's corruption? For illegal workers.
"All right, let's do that."
Lee Ji-hoon and Park Byung-ho have started writing an agreement. This is a matter between businessmen, so it is a matter of speed. Park Byung-ho presented the form that he prepared in advance, and Lee Ji-hoon read it quickly. This is to find out if there is anything strange.
That's about 30 minutes.
After a half-hour review of the papers without a word, it was all over.
"That's it."
Park Byung-ho declared and received the agreement and kept it. Lee also received the document and transferred Somchai's account.
The test site grumbled at the acceptance of it.
"Huh. I've never seen anything in my life."
The test site grumbled and washed the remaining americano all the way. Only the air can be heard coming in from it, where only the empty floor is left.
"I'm glad it was negotiated smoothly."
Lee Ji-hoon delivered a formal greeting. He smiled again as if he didn't like it.
"Are you a celebrity in the lawyer industry?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, who graduated from Seoul National University Law School and became a human rights lawyer? I heard you don't have money at home."
"Let's say it's a personal belief."
Lee Ji-hoon let it go. The test site, however, is to waste money getting out of one's pocket rather than blood getting out of one's body. I felt like I was going to get money out of my pocket, so I wanted to talk as much as I could and scratch my temper.
"A belief? Do beliefs feed you? Well, you have to have a lot of money if you really want to live according to your belief. Look at the second son of the Daeyang Group. How much I had a bad time just by talking about what I heard when I was working at the company. Tsk. But I'll see.
Because he has a lot of money, people don't think he's a genius who is immersed in his aesthetics or an artist who plays tricks on the world. In fact, he just bought art because he couldn't control his money. His nature is just a fool who eats and teases his back."
It was a disorganized logic development with a different back and forth, but it was an interesting word. Especially for Lee Ji-hoon. I can't believe he's getting a multifaceted evaluation of the person he killed not long ago.
"He collected art?"
When Lee Ji-hoon showed interest, the test site got excited. Men of that age. Men of middle age to old age are anxious because they cannot speak. Is it because female hormones are pumping out? Or is it because of the reduced testosterone?
"Yeah. Han Ji-woon, he consistently bought art. Honestly, does he know art? He was just trying to build a network and look like he had something to do with it."
The Mr.Koh laughed and gossiped about the son of his old boss. Lee Ji-hoon listened with interest.
"Let's go now, Mr. Koh"
"Yes, I do. Anyway, lawyer Lee Ji-hoon. You too. If you have that ability, you should make money by making your name known to the world. Tsk. Think carefully. The world is money after all. Human rights? It's all nonsense."
He left the cafe with lawyer Park Byung-ho, saying such things as special advice from his senior in life.
"That's a good deal. I should call Somchai."
Kim Woo-jin was happier than anyone else and skipped the phone call. Lee Ji-hoon, who was left alone at the cafe, was lost in thought.
Han Ji-woon collected a lot of art, but he seemed to be an outsider in art···
This smells so fishy.