“Sister, where did I come from?”
At young Ire’s question, Sister Agape looked up at the sky without hesitation. “You are a precious child given by heaven. So you deserve to be loved more than anyone else. Your parents must have felt the same.”
“But why did they abandon me…?”
“They didn’t abandon you. They were trying to protect you. So you must live well. If you meet someone who truly recognizes your worth, help that person. Then you will realize the light within you.”
“When will that be?”
“Sister…”
“Sister Agape…?”
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was a pure white ceiling. He felt something pierce his neck right before he fainted… When he tried to move his hands, he found himself handcuffed.
He managed to sit up and looked around. He was lying on a sofa, the leather of which was impeccably smooth and glossy. There was a heavy-looking ashtray on the table, and a large wooden desk to the right. Behind it, one wall was filled with books.
There was a window, so he staggered to his feet and went towards it. The sky was so blue it felt unreal. The wide land was empty, and there were low buildings scattered around it.
Is this District A? It was quite different from his last memory before fainting. The buildings and walls were all monochrome, and there wasn’t a single person to be seen. Barbed wire was stretched over the walls, preventing anyone from entering or leaving, and he realized that this was a place isolated from the outside world.
“You’re awake? I thought you’d be out for three hours.”
Surprised, Ire turned around to see someone standing there. The person who appeared without a sound was a man. Is he the owner of this room? The man smiled kindly at Ire’s wary expression. Then he sat in the chair in the middle, crossed his legs, and took out a cigarette from a box. He cut the end of the thick cigarette with a special knife and lit it. Ire’s face contorted as he watched the flame of the lighter rise.
“How long are you going to stand there? Come and sit down.”
Hesitantly, Ire went to the opposite side of the man. He could now see the man’s face properly. Clean, white skin and jet-black hair. His eyes were also eerily black. The flawless-looking man was handsome enough to be impossible to see in District B, even if you died and came back to life. Of course, until he opened his mouth.
“Is it okay where you got hit? It’s quite swollen?”
The suspicion he had turned into certainty.
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember? I don’t think my features are that forgettable.”
Ire gritted his teeth. A low voice, an icy gaze. It’s him. He was shocked by his clean appearance, which was incomparable to when he was covered in blood. He didn’t go to jail for his crimes? How can he be so unscathed?
“I’m Kim Ha-yoon. Nice to meet you.”
The man smiled and held out his hand, but Ire couldn’t bring himself to take it. The image of him as a murderer remained in his mind. It was hard to believe that the man’s behavior was so gentlemanly.
Ire belatedly came to his senses and parted his lips.
“I’m innocent… As I said yesterday, I was just a lookout.”
“Just a lookout…” Kim Ha-yoon muttered the words. Soon after, a man in military uniform entered with a knock. Ire recognized him at a glance as the man who had come to District B looking for him. The name Park Tae-young was preceded by the rank of Lieutenant. So, is Kim Ha-yoon in front of him a higher rank than Lieutenant? Why is he wearing a suit instead of a military uniform?
Kim Ha-yoon received a document from Lieutenant Park and threw it in front of Ire.
“You can read, can’t you?”
Carefully, Ire took it out and checked it, and it was filled with dense writing.
“To put it bluntly, I like you. Ah, does that sound too much like a confession?”
“……”
“I have an army under me. Think of it as a place that does special missions. Of course, you’ll be treated accordingly. Originally, only talents selected from District A come here, but I put you in directly without any of that. In common parlance, it’s called a parachute. I don’t know if they still use that word these days.”
Ire couldn’t hide his hardened expression. As he carefully placed the document he was holding on the table, Kim Ha-yoon’s gaze followed it and then returned to its place.
“You’ve already read it all?”
“I don’t want to be a soldier…”
Kim Ha-yoon, who had been staring at him, smiled almost imperceptibly and straightened his posture. All he did was cross his legs to the other side, though.
“Why?”
“I like things the way they are now…”
“Living in a shitty house, worrying about meals and struggling? Or being a lookout for thugs to earn a few pennies?”
Ire’s eyebrows twitched at the scathing mockery. Kim Ha-yoon still had that disgustingly smirking face. Without realizing it, Ire looked at the ashtray on the table. If I hit that bastard’s head with this now, the man called Lieutenant behind him will blow my head off with the pistol on his waist, right? He imagined such things.
“I appreciate the thought, but I’m really okay… I’ll pretend I didn’t see what happened yesterday. So you don’t have to worry too much.”
“You don’t think I called you here to cover up what happened yesterday, do you?”
Kim Ha-yoon wore an expression as if he had heard a funny joke.
“As if I would bring you all the way here to silence you.”
“……”
“Listen carefully, kid. Even if I turn all of District B into a sea of fire, there’s no one here who will punish me.”
“……”
“That means you have no choice. Do you understand?”
“……”
“There’s only one thing you can do. Sign, or die.”
How can someone smile so brightly while threatening someone? Kim Ha-yoon repeatedly opened and closed the lid of the lighter in his hand. When Ire didn’t answer easily, he suddenly stopped, as if he didn’t like it.
“Or should I kill all your family in District B? Would you listen to me then?”
Ire’s gaze sharply pierced Kim Ha-yoon.
“If you want, I can bring them here and kill them in front of you. Just like I butchered your friend.”
In an instant, Ire’s patience snapped, and he jumped up and lunged at him without realizing it. “You son of a bitch! Just try it!” Just before he grabbed his collar, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and thrown to the floor, and a merciless kick flew at him. With a thud, his face was hit, and his head went numb.
Blood dripped, dripped from his already torn lips. Red spots appeared on the luxurious carpet. When he raised his head, he saw the man called Lieutenant Park expressionlessly raising his foot again.
At that moment, Kim Ha-yoon raised his hand to stop him and stood up. He squatted down in front of the fallen Ire, put his arm over his knee, and smiled playfully. He looked like an innocent child. Like crushing an ant out of curiosity.
But his eyes gleamed like a beast.
“Your family is your Achilles’ heel, isn’t it?”
I shouldn’t have gotten angry. I should have been patient. He regretted it belatedly.
Kim Ha-yoon smiled and cupped Ire’s cheek with his hand. Then he rubbed his lower lip with his thumb. Soon, his lips turned red as if he had applied lipstick.
“You know what? If you listen to me, your whole family can live well.”
“……”
“And I can also cure your guardian’s illness. Did you say he had something wrong with his heart?”
Ire’s eyes widened slightly. He was surprised that he knew Matteo was sick, and that he knew the exact name of the disease. There was a doctor in the neighborhood, but they were all quacks, and there were limits to getting medicine. So he was going to go to District C. It’s a neighborhood full of criminals, but he heard that you can get all kinds of medicine there.
“Are you serious…?”
“About killing them all?”
“No… About curing his illness.”
Kim Ha-yoon narrowed his eyes and looked at Ire.
“Damn, how touching. Even though he’s not your real father.”
“……”
“If you want, I’ll have him treated in District A. I’ll give you all the support you need.”
His heart began to beat violently. He can save him. He might be able to save Matteo. The mere fact made him feel breathless.
“Why me…”
“You’re wondering why I’m going this far?”
“……”
“I told you. I like you.”
The man’s eyes as he smiled were no different from that night. Whether he was covered in blood or now, it was the same. Instinct told him. He’s a dangerous guy. There’s no good in getting involved. But the sweet offer he made was hard to resist.
After much deliberation, he got up.
After wiping the blood from his mouth, he looked at the man straight in the face.
“First, bring Matteo here.”